REAPER
by ridtom
Summary: Heroes. Villains. All shall fear Death herself (Reaper!Taylor).
1. Chapter 1

**Reaper Chapter I: Fear the Reaper**

I leap across the rooftops as I realize how illogical the world could be.

The world was filled with constants: get up, go to school, face my once best friend's betrayal while she mocks me, clean myself off, ignore the teachers that were ignoring me, go home.

Rinse and repeat.

But then the variables come in and screw around with the constants, leaving disaster in it's wake. A cape fight destroys my father's Union building, an Endbringer attack sinks one of the few remaining islands, my mother's death...

I wasn't always like this. I used to barely give the illogical nature of the world and it's inhabitants a passing glance as I continued on with the living hell that was my life, facing down Emma, facing the apathetic school faculty, cleaning the messes they made of me, etc. etc.

I clear another rooftop, barely exerting any effort in pushing my body to clear the gap between. I feel the supposed heavy weight of my mother's black cloak bellow in the wind as I soar through the air, electrical impulses within my body enhancing the my senses. I tense as I descend onto the approaching rooftop, letting new-found instinct and the impulses do their work.

My landing is flawless and I hardly make a sound as I continue my run above the streets. I would never have made a jump like that before, when I was an illogical person. I doubt I would have even willed my self to be on the roof in the first place. Not that I didn't want to before; I was passionate about what I wanted to do, but without the means. I was doomed to suffer from the constants that were my classmates and my own inadequacy in life.

That all changed with the locker.

I stopped on a new roof, letting the mild wind play with my restrained hair. I was dressed in my previously mentioned black cloak, with matching gloves, cargo pants filled with assorted items, gloves and boots. I finished my ensemble with my white face mask, a red smile painted on and slitted slots where I could see through. Every part of my costume was calculated for the most efficient and logical use: My boots were steel tipped for added protection, gloves with metal studs where the knuckles were for increased damage, my mother's cloak and my cargo pants were laced with metal wire and filled with pepper spray and my metal baton. If one were to cut open my cloak, they'd find rows upon rows of thin pieces of metal, placed over the other in a pattern that would remind anyone who saw of dragon scales.

All in all my costume would have weighed a good 90 lbs, severely limiting the movement of any normal human being.

I was anything but.

My powers are hard to explain. At first glance it may seem straight forward, anything I touch I can generate and discharge huge quantities of electricity through as long as it's conductive. I'm unsure as to how much I can generate, but it was enough to short out my entire block.

That was not a good week.

Further experimentation showed that I passively create and sense electricity, ranging from normal appliances to human beings if I focus enough and I can interact with them from a distance, though the effect basically amounted to fuzzy t.v. pictures and mild irritation from people. Hopefully my dad will forgive me for all those passive tests when I tell him about me.

Eventually.

But even that was not the limit of my power. If I focus on a conductive material I can alter it's physical properties to an unknown extent. I can cause vibrations and somehow lighten it's mass with my electrical discharges, so while my gear may weigh up to 90 lbs on a normal person, with my powers it weighs a little less than ten. If that wasn't enough my electrical impulses throughout my body are supercharged to the extreme, giving me enhanced physical abilities. I can't flip a car through the air like Glory Girl, but I can definitely dent the car door.

The only thing that was not apart of my logic was the mask. I absently rubbed the white plastic covering, listening to the surrounding area for any sign of trouble. I don't know why, but when I saw the then blank piece of plastic at the goodwill I felt the overwhelming need to have it. It was illogical and I briefly feared that it was a sign of me losing my new perspective, but after adding my personal tastes to the mask I felt... rejuvenated.

Odd.

Further musings were pushed aside as I focused in on a silent group on gangsters guarding the entrance to the building. Their colors, asian features, and insignia all pointed to the ABB, the world's largest asian supervillain gang barring those in China. The silence is what tips me off, ironic since they were most likely ordered to keep a low profile by their boss. Unfortunately for them, ABB is known as one the loudest and confrontational gangs here, rivaled only by the Empire 88.

I try to focus on the EM fields within the building but find myself lacking. Electrical wiring and equipment obscure any focus I could gather. Foolish. I should have planned for this, I had trekked through this entire neighborhood for weeks and I had never taken something as simple as wiring in account. With no way to know what the two lackey's were guarding but unwilling to leave such a suspicious scene, I hunker down and play the waiting game.

An hour had almost passed before I saw movement. A black limousine arrived from one of the many alleyways, creating a stark contrast from his it's polished frame and the shanty buildings that surrounded it. As soon as the comfort car stopped, people began to exit the guarded building and I could now understand why there was a need for quiet.

Lung had exited the building.

The leader of the Anz Bad Boys strode out below me, his 6 foot height and muscled build radiating confidence and respect. I was now way, way, way over my head here. Lung had fought against full teams of the Protectorate with little to no problems and was even said to have gone toe-to-tow with Leviathan and come out unscratched. I was a 15 year old girl with social issues.

I was about to abandon my mission, maybe to find some non-Endbringer level gangbangers, when my enhanced-hearing caught part of his conversation:

"-shoot the brats. You got them in your sights, shoot them. If she starts talking shoot the bitch twice. I don't want any of them walking away from here."

They were going to shoot kids?!

Fuck!

I had no disposable cell on me and the nearest payphone was half-way across the docks. It was stupid, it was reckless, and worse, it was illogical. But I was going to save those kids or die trying.

I really didn't want to die.

My biggest target and obstacle was Lung, the man, according to Parahumans wiki, was capable of growing stronger during a fight and had regeneration that made sure that whatever damage he did receive was almost negligible. He also had some sort of Pyrokinesis, but the article didn't go into depths about it's range or his skill with it. Lung himself was surrounded by a dozen gang members, some carrying guns that they didn't even try to hide, while most carried some sort of melee weapon on their person. I was confident that I could take them down rather quickly but it would give Lung a heads up and I doubt he's the type to let others do the fighting for him.

No, my best chance was to quickly take Lung out of the fight before he began his transformation, and hopefully scare off any remaining lackey.

With a deep breathe and some brief mental encouragement, I leapt off of the five story building. During my descent I unhitched my metal baton, allowing it to expand to it's full length before letting a medium size charge of electricity run through it, turning it into a makeshift stun baton. I could hear and feel the small vibrations of the charge as it coursed through my weapon and body.

Apparently, so could Lung.

The leader of the ABB barely understood what he was seeing before my makeshift stun baton struck his metal mask in a double-handed-overhead-swing. Sparks crackled to life as metal meet electrically charged metal, Lung's body involuntarily twitching as the current transferred to his body.

"AAAAAAAAGH!" He shouted, surprisingly still on his feet, before making a blind swing in the general direction that I had landed in. I let my reflexes do their job and bent backwards, feeling the air from his fist across my mask, before retaliating with another swing from my baton, this time to the outside of his kneecap. Lung's leg crumpled beneath him, forcing him to one knee and causing more cries of agony from the renewed electrical shock. Before he could get the chance to realize what the hell was going on, I swung my baton like a baseball bat, with Lungs dented mask being the discharged Home-Run hit.

Sparks once again flew as metal connected, with the force of my swing and Lung's unstable stance actually giving him air time before he slammed to the ground. I stared at the unmoving form of Lung with occasional twitch of electricity and the rise and fall of his chest.

I just knocked Lung unconscious.

I checked my watch.

I just knocked Lung unconscious in 30 seconds.

I broke myself out of my self imposed daze and looked towards the remaining gang members. In the ensuing "battle" not one of them thought to take out their weapons, instead choosing to stop and gape at what had just happened to their "invincible" leader. I decided to use their shock to my advantage and made a "who's next?" gesture with my palm, twirling my baton in the other hand.

With looks of sheer fear spread across their faces, the remaining gang sprinted in my opposite direction, many of them crying out in fright.

_Well. That went rather nicely, didn't it Lun-gurrphgghphr!_

What felt like a freight train slammed into my ribcage, denting the metal dragon scales in my cloak and sending me flying into a nearby dumpster, crashing into it's exterior. I forced myself off of the alley's dirty ground and leaned onto the dented dumpster, trying to ignore the screaming from my ribcage. Lung was back on his feet, three feet taller and covered in metal scales, not unlike the ones within my cloak. Smoke was billowing beneath his now deformed dragon mask and I could see the tell-tale glow of orange flames as well. His now clawed hands curled in and out, and the glare he sent my way said it all.

Lung was pissed, and I was fucked.

"U mo'er fu'ther! I kill u!"

I was going to say something, I don't know what, maybe a snappy retort, but Lung didn't give me a chance. With a speed that belied his incredible size he lunged at me, claws open and out for blood. I didn't give my self a chance to think before I lept out of his way, his metal claws barely scratching the underside of my boot as he blasted threw the metal dumpster as well as the brick wall behind it.

Rolling onto my feet and all to aware of the pain in my ribs, I tried to find a way to escape. The rooftops might be my way out, but Lung was able to hear me when I attacked him. Did he have super hearing as well? If he didn't then, he sure as hell does now. He was too fast for me to outrun, but for now dodging him wasn't a major problem and he hadn't started spitting fire so that was a plus. I most definitely couldn't out muscle him either, maybe my shocks could hurt him? It looked like he had metal scales, so that could work. But how to get close without being eviscerated?

I apparently took to long for Lungs tastes as the hulking monster blasted through the wall again, leaving two holes where he entered and left. Those scales were definitely metal, I could feel my passive E.M. field attach to them. If I could get close to him for my baton I could hopefully zap him enough to put him out of the fight, at least till the Procterate came by.

I'd have to do something stupid for him to charge again though.

"You know Lung, you could have just walked through the same hole right? Don't tell me, all your brains went to your muscles didn't they?"

Yep that should do it.

With an inhuman roar that nearly knocked me off my feat, Lung charged for a second time. I was ready this time though, jumping to his lower left side and ducking under his swinging arm. I had a fraction of a second before he could turn to swipe me, but it would still be too late for Lung.

I admit, I might have screamed when Lung exploded.

Before my baton was even an inch to his scales, plumes of flames burst out of seemingly nothing, nearly engulfing me in it's entirety. My reflexes saved me again as I leapt/rolled backwards and out of the flames reach. I was still singed and sweating badly under his heat, but at least I was alive. I pushed myself back onto two feet and tried not to look into the swirling sun that Lung had become. I might have gaped and froze at the power that Lung possessed before I triggered, but now my mind still tried to analyze the situation and find a favorable outcome.

There weren't many. Lung was now covered in flames, and didn't seem to mind it at all. I could still shock him, but getting closer would now be a death sentence even more than before. He had effectively rendered my baton and myself useless. But maybe I didn't have to touch him. Slowly, a plan started forming in my mind as I mentally went over every landmark that I passed on my way here. It could work, but I'd be really pushing my luck.

The sound of cracking concrete was enough of a warning for me as I dive-rolled out the way, a living fireball slamming into the ground where I had just stood. I didn't even look back as I began my sprint threw the alley ways, hoping Lung would take the bait. The explosion of brick behind highly suggested that he had, and I began to zig-zag to my destination, using dumpsters, abandoned cars, and trash-bins as obstacles to put Lung just behind me. Even though I was sweating like a stuck pig, and my ribcage would probably never forgive me, I continued on with my improvised free-running my trusty reflexes giving me the boost I needed to keep me out of range of Lung's fireballs.

I had just seen my destination when Lung got fed up with the chase and made a massive leap in my direction. He actually overshot me and I probably would have made there unharmed had his flaming tale not slammed into my back. Now I was sent flying once again, though the air time was considerably shorter and the asphalt of the street much more comfortable than the metal dumpster. I was also on fire, but a few pats on my lower back solved that problem.

Lung was far from done however. His giant leap had made him crash headfirst into a fire hydrant, sending a cascade of water through the air, and surrounding his body in steam as his flames struggled to stay alight. His lack of fire was no cause of alarm though, as he was now ten feet taller than I had last seen him, with larger scales, elongated neck and an inhuman muzzle where his face used to be. His scales glistened from the perspiration, his flames all but dead, yet he still had that aura of confidence about him. And rage. Yeah he was still pissed.

"No mo' runnin'. U wi' die fu'her."

In the movies this would be the time where the hero says a snappy comeback.

Not me. That would be illogical and a waste of time.

Instead I slammed my metal baton into the puddle that had formed under Lung's feet. Giant sparks of electricity zapped the air around it as Lung jerked and convulsed like a marionette puppet. I used enough electricity to fry a my block before adding more. Lung was once more fuming, but instead of his pyrokinetics, it was the now visible arcs of electricity dancing across his scales as his eyes literally popped like grapes. I kept the pressure on for another thirty seconds before finally relinquishing control, causing Lung to fall to his side once more, almost exactly as he had done before.

I stood on shaking feet, chest hurting, my skin still feeling the small burns from Lung. I had won. Looking at the smoking ruins of Lung's body and the charred remains of his eyes, it wasn't a pretty win, but it was a win all the same. I wasn't really surprised by the fact that he was still breathing, after what I had just been through, I doubted anything could kill him. Maybe I should be more disgusted by the brutality of my actions, but he was going to kill kids! It was illogical to hold back against a monster like that.

"Well this is a shocking turn of events."

I turned my head so fast I worried I might have given myself whiplash. Standing off to my right were a group people dressed in a variety of costumes. A blonde girl in a skintight outfit and domino mask with an eerie smile on her face, a man with a skull mask with darkness all around him, another teen with a renaissance fair outfit and white mask twirling a cane, and finally a taller girl with a plastic dog mask over her head. The entire group was surrounded by a pack mutant monsters, with said Dog-girl actually riding one of them.

We stood there for who knows how long, the destroyed hydrant still spewing water as we had our staring contest, Lung almost completely forgotten.

Seeing that I wasn't going to start the conversation, Skull-Mask decided to speak up, "I just wanted to say thank you. You really saved our asses here. When we heard Lung was coming by, we were pretty freaked. Eventually we just thought 'Fuck it' and decided to charge ahead. Imagine our surprise when we find only Oni Lee and a few thugs at the point where they were to meet up with Lung."

Physically I kept the same guarded pose as I had before, while I was internally mulling over his words. I saved these guys? I didn't recall ever meeting these people before.

Skull-Mask shifted uncomfortably under my masked gaze, turning towards the Smile-Girl and shrugging.

"She's not trying to be rude... I don't think?" the Smile-Girl turned back to me and I could see the gears turning in her head, though her smile never left her face. Both Skull-Mask and Clockwork Orange-Dude turned to Smile-Girl asking an unspoken question, though Smile-Girl never took her eyes off me.

"Well... this is kind of awkward." Clockwork Orange-Dude said, sounded both annoyed and uncaring at the same time.

"Something you'd like to tell us Tattle-Tale?" asked Skull-Mask, who was apparently the leader.

"...Just that we're grateful for the help." Tattle-Tale smiled, gears still turning as her eyes raked over me. Suddenly she turned towards Skull-Mask and said, "Protectorate will be here soon. We should go."

Tattle-Tale turned back to me, "You should too. Villain on villain violence rarely gets the O.K. from the big guys. Thank you, really." With that she strode towards the nearest mutant thing and climbed on top. Clockwork Orange did the same, while Skull-Mask gave me curt nod and a wave before climbing his own. Once everyone was set, Dog-Girl whistled and each Mutant took off into a sprint before climbing nearby buildings and disappearing over the top.

I was left alone in the street with the unconscious leader of Brockton Bay's most powerful gang, and wondering what the hell just happened.


	2. Chapter 2

**Reaper: Chapter Ib**

The window didn't make a sound as I lifted up it's bottom frame. The same could not be said for me as I nearly yelped when my chest glanced the window sill, causing me to nearly drop my objective.

Only once I was fully through the damned window and bringing in said objective into the room did I collapse onto the bed. My bed. I was so relieved that I was actually able to ignore the throbbing from my battered ribs for a moment and just gave in to the warmth and comfort of the years old mattress, letting out a quiet sigh of content.

Opening my eyes, the last of my europhia faded, replaced by my thoughts on the events of tonight. I scowled, too much could have gone wrong. I was never supposed to have met Lung let alone engage him. It was supposed to be trial night, working on my tactics and game plans for the future, not to do... this. No one was even supposed to see me tonight!

I wasn't out there to be a hero.

I paused in my thoughts as I remembered what the villainess, Tattletale, had mentioned almost offhandedly. She thought I was a villain, attacking Lung for who knows what reason. From her point of view, I guess it would have come off that way, to a normal person at least. But I knew she was anything but.

I almost started scowling again. It was so stupid that I couldn't place a name to her little group when I first saw them. The Undersiders, a low level crime gang in Brockton Bay, no major claim to fame though. Unless you counted their luck in evading Armsmaster. But was it really luck? Thinking back to how calculated she looked while trying to converse with me, I was beginning to think otherwise. From what I saw, Skull-Face was most likely Grue, their leader, Clockwork Orange was probably Regent, and the Dog girl was obviously Hellhound. Was Grue really the leader though? He seemed to defer to Tattletale when we met. Possible head-figure for the public eye?

I stopped the train of thought. It was pointless to give them any more of my time, we met, they talked, they left, and that was that. The likely hood of running into them again within a city the size of Brockton Bay was very unlikely.

Unless I was low on funds.

With that, I forced myself into a sitting position, my ribs crying out in protest. I wonder if I my pulses could manually activated the signals for more endorphins? Something to check later, I thought, as I eyed the large cotton sack in front of me. I new without looking what was exactly inside the sack.

Over twenty different pairs of bank and social security cards, four different types of pistols, 20 different magazines for the pistols, and over 20,000 dollars in cash.

All courtesy of Lung's electronic safe.

There was more inside the safe of course. Diamonds, solid gold and silver bars, rubies, and jewelry that was almost blinding in how beautiful they were. I promptedly ignored them. Most of those were probably stolen from place that were actively looking for them and it raise a lot of alarms if a 15 year old girl was pawning off a diamond the size of her fist.

My one guilty pleasure though, was the sword-cane.

Over three and a half feet long unsheathed, I immediately saw all the possible uses for the weapon. When sheathed in it's dark black cane with it's hooked handle, it would be the perfect tool for me to perform non-lethal take downs in tandem with my baton, and when faced with someone like Lung, the electrified blade will definitly give me an edge.

Not that I planned to do something as high risk and illogical as taking on the head of a parahuman gang a second time.

No, a master thief lives longer when no one knows who the thief is or if it's just one person.

And with that somewhat reassuring thought, I relaxed myself back onto my bed, sack of goods hidden beneath the throws of my blanket.

There were no dreams.


	3. Interlude 1

**Reaper: Interlude #1-Armsmaster**

"Colin?"

"Hmm?"

"Am I reading this report right?"

Colin Wallis, also known as Armsmaster, head of Brockton Bay's Protectorate Sector, swiveled in his chair. Standing behind him was Hannah, aka Miss Militia, his fellow colleague and one of the few people that he could call his friend. Armsmaster didn't miss the raised eyebrow as Militia leafed through his report of Lung's capture. Normally he might have been annoyed that someone was second guessing his work, but he himself could hardly believe what he had seen.

"That depends," he half smiled, "have you been faking understanding the English language?"

Miss Militia rolled her eyes, but couldn't fight off the small smile. He was usually so caught up in his work, it was nice that he joked like that once and awhile.

She just wished it happened more.

She focused her attention back at the report in question and once again rose a confused eyebrow. "Well this can't be right..."

"Colin, it says here that Lung suffered burns ranging from the 1st to the 2nd degree-"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Colin, Lung is a pyrokinetic. Even if someone controlled the flames better than him, he'd still be massively fire-proof, not to mention his regeneration would make it negligible at most."

Colin frowned.

"And it says later on," she flipped the report till came upon the page, "that his regeneration was 'quote-un-quote' receding at an alarming rate especially his eyes.

She looked at him, a frown hidden under her scarf, yet easily shown from her eyes.

"Colin, what exactly happened down there?"

Armsmaster sighed, _I really just want to work right now._

Out loud he explained, "Lung did indeed suffer 1st and 2nd degree burns Hannah. I too at first thought that it was impossible, until I noticed the water."

"The water." She knew this part, but she wanted to hear it from him.

Armsmaster nodded, "The water. It was pooled all over the damned place and you could still see faint traces of steam in the air. What I believed happened and it should be all in that report right there, is that Lung was ambushed. Whether or not it was a rival gang, a new cape, or some sort of infighting, nothings concrete."

"But it says here," Militia shuffled more pages, "That you have a theory?"

"I was getting to that you know," Armsmaster growled out, though he didn't really mean it, "Anyways, after making sure that he was properly apprehended, I realized that he was slightly aware of what was happening around him.

"I had my suspicions but his testimony confirmed it, Lung chased some rogue after he or she attempted a hit on his life. Upon the end of the chase, Lung thought that he had the attacker cornered, unknowing of the trap he or she had set. Using the destroyed hydrant as a conductor, the assailant used some form electrokinesis, practically frying Lung to the point of unconsciousness and the destruction of his sight."

He shrugged, "From that point it was relatively easy to follow his trail of destruction back to his former base."

Miss Militia nodded, "And that's where your theory comes in."

"That's right. One unlucky punk from Lung's crew decided to stick around for god knows whatever reason. We found him rifling through an electronic safe, swearing up a storm before he noticed our presence. After arresting him and a proper interrogation from your's truly, the man admitted that the safe held over a third of Lung's finances and that while the gold and jewels were left behind, all of the paper cash and a few assorted items were stolen."

The Protectorate Head reclined in his chair, "Of course, now Lung can't and probably won't say anything to us about the contents of that safe, but I have it all set in my head. Lung begins some sort of hit on someone, the attacker ambushes him, ambush fails and Lung plays tag across the lower end of the docks. Lung is eventually incapacitated and the attacker, possibly assuming Lung's death, heads back towards Lung's base. He or she promptly empties the majority of the safe out, along with a few wallets and credit cards."

"And leaves behind the much more traceable jewels," finished Militia, "And according to the thug's testimony, his description is... rather lacking."

Armsmaster snorted, "If only he could describe more than 'ghost mask and black cloak'. Couldn't even get a name."

"Hmm, I see. Well, thank you for clearing some things up for me Colin," Militia gave him a nod and a hidden smile, "Try not to keep yourself up with your work."

"I make no promises," smiled Armsmaster.

Only after Miss Militia left, did Colin relax. It hurt, but he had not been entirely truthful with Hannah. Sure it was true that the electricity had done a number on Lung, but nothing that required the emergency room.

_"No,"_ Armsmaster thought, "_That was all me. It was foolish to use such a powerful anti-regenerative when he was in such a state. If only I hadn't been so anxious."_

With a sigh, Armsmaster turned back to his computer and began working on his Endbringer patternization system.

It was only hours into work, that Armsmaster realized that Hannah never stated what was bothering her with his report.


	4. Chapter 3

**Reaper: Chapter Ic**

_Black fire rains down upon me, towers engulfed in the hell blaze, the screams of the damned echoing throughout the city._

_"Yin!" I cry out, but there is no answer. The screams are too loud, too much for me and my voice is hoarse from all the yelling before._

_I see groups of people, innocent men, women, and children running and screaming, even as the hell fire burns them to ash. The streets are melting, liquid tar trapping and causing further agony to the already doomed._

_I had to find Yin, had to get to the Hell's G-_

I awake with a start, my heart pounding a mile a minute. I half expect to see burning corpses and black fire, but all that awaits me is my crumpled costume and sweat covered sheets. Of course I'd have no dreams, but nightmares were fair game apparently.

Taking deep breathes, I count down from 100, trying to slow my heart rate to a more manageable level. I could still feel the rush of adrenaline, though now it was slowly dissipating, and I was already feeling sluggish. I might have to test out that endorphin theory sooner than predicted.

No matter, my heart was already at more manageable pace, and by 60 I was at my normal state of mind.

"Annoying," I whisper. I was still sore from Lung and all the tossing and turning from the nightmare had upset the bruise, a reminder of what acting on emotions will do.

I ignore the pain in my ribs to turn and check the time on my digital clock: 3:50 a.m.

"Huh," I whisper, "Guess that nightmare was good for something. I'm ten minutes ahead of schedule."

With that I slowly remove my self from my mattress, creeping towards the middle of the room, and silently get into position.

With hurt ribs I can't do as much as usual... 90 per set should be fine though.

I begin my morning workout routine, adjusted so that I didn't overexert my injured body. 90 push-ups, 90 sit ups, and 90 combinations of punches and kicks, and five sets for each. Once those were finished I would begin working on handling my baton, and newly acquired sword cane. I didn't know any sword styles or stances at the moment, but practicing with it's weight and balance should be fine though.

All in all, it was a pretty laid back workout, but I was injured and willing to relax for a day.

By 4:30 I was out of the shower and applied the proper bandages under my set of clothes. I considered taking some of my Dad's pain medication, but it wouldn't do me any good to be unfocused during school. It might tip someone off.

By 5:00, breakfast was made, with a healthy dose of scrambled eggs with a side of hashbrowns, and a cup of milk. Leaving my share of the food in the kitchen, I made my way over to Dad's room. Dad always eats first.

I made sure of it.

Pausing at the doorway, I take another deep breathe and put on a "Taylor Hebert" smile, mentally switching gears even as my knuckles rapped on the door.

"Come in."

(Danny POV)

My daughter opened the door at my answer, and the smell of eggs and hashbrowns wafted in and assaulted my senses. Taylor knew that they were my favorites and always put an effort into the meal whenever she had the time.

"Hey Dad," she said, a beautiful smile on her face, "Thought you might be hungry."

"You thought right," the smile she gave me grew and I had to smile back, "Come on in and sit down."

She made her way to my bedside, placing the plate and cup on my nightstand before reaching back and struggled with the collapsible standing tray. Throughout it all, I couldn't help but see her mother in her. The way she smiled and the almost unsure way she handled the tray was almost Annette's mirror image. It ached and warmed my heart at the same time.

Eventually she was able to get the tray to work and once placing the plate and cup on top, began to spoon feed me. It was humiliating when we first tried it, after the hospital. An air of awkwardness and anger had surrounded us, awkward for her for seeing me like this, anger at myself for being so pitiable.

But Taylor had persevered, and eventually we got into the hang of the routine. I accepted that I would need the help for the time being, and Taylor was extra careful in avoiding getting food/drink on my casts and burns.

I was still angry at my workplace being bombed, but moments like these with Taylor, just eating in silence and enjoying one another's company, made it almost be worth it.

After the meal, we just... talked. And it was nice. No awkward pauses or being unable to look each other in the eye like after Anne's death. No, we just talked, about Taylor's new job to pay for my medical expenses, how she was doing in school, and what movie to rent for movie night tonight. And throughout all of it, she had that beautiful smile, an Annette smile, and I wished that I'd never see her without it.

"Oh! I've got to go soon!" she said, the clock next to me saying she only had an hour till school.

"Make sure you eat before you go," I said seriously, "You've got to take care of yourself too you know."

In response she gave me another smile and a kiss on the forehead, "I know Dad. Sierra should be here by the time I leave, so make sure she keeps to her schedule. I love you Dad."

"I love you too." and I meant it.

Another smile and my cheery daughter was gone.

I closed the door quietly and removed my smile and switched back to my previous mental state. "Sunny Taylor" was gone and all that was left was me.

Which was just how I liked it.

Retrieving my now cold food, I began to eat while trying to plan on what mask to wear to school. There was a high probability of encountering Emma, Sophia, and Madison, and since it was after a weekend they'd want to make bigger show of it than usual to humiliate me. Hmm, perhaps a combination of "Heartbroken" and "Teary Eye'd" would work.

Yes, that would do nicely.

Finishing my breakfast, I prepared all my school materials while also making sure my nightly activity evidence was properly hidden. It wouldn't be good if Sierra found thousands of dollars poking out of my floorboards, and guns to boot.

Making sure to bring along my collapsible baton and pepper spray, I left the house, leaving a note for Sierra on what pills and medications to give to my Dad. She was a smart nurse though, and had probably already memorized the routine.

Still, it never hurt to be prepared.


	5. Chapter 4

**Reaper Chapter 2: Reap What You Sow**

"W-Why can't you just leave me alone?"

The laughing girls paid the teary eyed girl in the bathroom no mind as they continued to laugh to their hearts content. Sophia Hess, Emma Barnes, and Madison Clements had only five minutes in-between passing periods, but they made sure they made the most of it.

The teary eyed girl tried to wipe off the shaving cream that covered her glasses, as well as the rest of her, only to break down when her efforts merely smeared the cream across the glass. With clunk, her knees hit the tiled floor, and she covered her face with her hands in an attempt to hide herself from the world. All the while the three girls laughed and laughed, making degrading comments whenever they found enough air.

The crying girl remained rocking on her knees till the the trio grew bored and left the pitiful girl in the restroom, alone once more. As soon as the girls were gone, the crying stopped and the once teary eyed girl looked up with an expression of full neutrality.

I got up off the filthy floor of the girls restroom, wiping away my forced tears and any shaving cream that came close to my eyes. After properly clearing my face I stepped towards the vandalized mirrors to begin the clean up process.

I noticed in one corner of the damage mirror, some one had placed: TaylorxGreg 4 Life!, with a heart surrounding it.

How annoying.

I ignored the pathetic graffiti and started to clear away my glasses with the cold tap. With that done, I began to pour a measured amount of water on the cream across my clothes, careful not to drench myself. After clearing what I could within reason, I began the same with my hair and face.

My performance was rather subpar today, I thought, Maybe I should invest in some tear drops?

I certainly had the money for it now, even with the amount that I'd have to spend to pay for Dad's medication. I pulled down cheek and inspected my eyes. Yep, barely any redness to them. I'd definitely have to buy some minor eye irritants as well.

Who knew being 'bullied' was so expensive.

I summoned my power, radiating a very minor field of electricity around me. I could see the blue him surrounding my body, and the redness of my pupils, the mark of my status. Of my power.

Leaving the restroom, I made sure to look down and appropriately humiliated to the many students passing by. It wouldn't due to be 'bullied' only to come out fine after all. I briefly considered retaliating, but dismissed the idea. It would raise too many questions and I wouldn't have the answers. Besides, no one suspects the crybaby to be a master thief.

Once school was over I made my way over to the Library for 'studying'. In reality, I was going to check to see if I had made any waves that threatened to tip me over. Lung was a serious mistake, in more ways than one, and I found myself worried that I would never recover from it. Hopefully, nothing major had occurred.

Finding a seat at the computer isle was relatively easy, and soon I had logged myself into Para-Human Online. A brief check had showed that, while Lung being captured was making waves, no one could identify the cape who had done it. Quite a few were decrying the 'assassin', calling me ruthless, and a coward. Many more were glad that the monster was off the streets.

It was while I was going over the threads that I noticed something strange.

Thread: Dear Ghost Ninja,

Hey G.N., Miss Bossy wanted to say thanks for the stuff at the Doks.

So thancs or whatevs.

She also wants to meet up for some reason

Pm if you want ok

-YourPrince25

"...Shit." That about summed up what I was feeling.

It was a stretch, but I was unwilling to deny that they could not be referring to me. No one in Brockton Bay matched that description, and the mention of the Docks was practically a neon sign saying, "We remember you!"

I don't know what the Undersiders wanted with me, but there was no way in hell that I was going to involve myself with them in any way. That was just asking for trouble.

I made sure to keep up my calm appearance as I quickly exited out of the site and then the computer area itself, a normal pace even with my growing sense of unease.

A sense of being watched.

Lisa Wilbourn noticed her the moment she walked through the Library doors. Her walk, her eyes, the way she moved, she saw all of it.

And something was there.

She had watched as the mysterious figure made her way to computer labs and began to browse the PHO, noting the links that she viewed were those about Lung and his capture. She noted the slight widening and squinting of the eyes as she read through the comments.

And when she saw the message that she had told Alec to leave, it connected. It felt like having five pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, and then having the hundred other pieces flow into the spots themselves.

Watching the girl leave, she almost couldn't hide her smile.


	6. Chapter 5

**Reaper: Chapter 2b**

By 5:00 p.m. I had arrived home, arms covered in plastic grocery bags and prescription medicine. It was times like these that I relished in having 'super-strength.' Though that did leave me with the conundrum of actually opening the door. Luckily, Sierra opened the door just as I was considering headbutting it.

With a quick mental flip, 'Sunny Taylor' was back on the surface.

"Oh hello Ms. Herbert! My, your early today! Your Dad just fell asleep from his medication."

I smiled back at the young nurse, "Hello Sierra, and please call me Taylor."

She just smiled and laughed. I liked Sierra. She was easy going but caring when it came to my Dad, not to mention that she always tried to go beyond the call of duty when it came to helping me around the house. I felt somewhat bad whenever I hid my true self from her, but I didn't want to drive her away with my (admittedly) cold personality.

"Oh wow did you carry all those groceries by yourself?" she cried, "Here let me help you with those! Honestly Taylor I don't even know how you managed to get these all the way here."

"I work out." it was true.

She just gave me a look that said it all before grabbing an arm full of groceries and headed straight into the house, visibly straining with the weight. I followed behind, slightly bemused.

"Y-you know, if you e-ever need help, just a sec." She gently set the groceries on the table, wiping off some perspiration from the trek into the house, "Whew that's better. What was I saying?"

"How you'd like a raise for all the hard work you put into this?" I said, setting down my own baggage, faking hard breathes.

"Ha. Ha." She smirked and I smiled in response, "If you need help just ask me and I'll find another aid to help you out."

She was serious. I could tell from the worry in her eyes, even hidden behind her pleasant expression. It was then that I felt something strange inside. I didn't know what it was, but it bothered me enough that Sierra gave me a funny look.

"Are you all right Taylor? You look like a goose stepped on your grave."

No, I wasn't alright. I felt like something was different, something that was not supposed to be there, was there, but what?

Outwardly I said, "I'm fine, I think I might be getting a cold. It's been bugging me all day."

She frowned and once again the feeling came in full force. What the hell?

"...Okay," her expression saying that it was not okay, but willing to give me the benefit of the doubt, "I'll be on my way then. Take care of yourself Taylor. Not just your father."

I forced a smile and nodded, "You too Sierra. And say high to your brother for me."

She laughed, "I don't think he'll listen to me even if I do."

"Kids right? Think they know everything."

"Oh, because you're the exception." she rolled her eyes but it was in jest, and soon she was gone, just a shrinking figure down the horizon.

Retreating back into the kitchen, turning off 'Sunny Taylor', I realized what the unfamiliar feeling was. Envy. I was envious of her.

Why? Well for starters she didn't have to fake the smiles she wore, she didn't fake the laughs and the inside jokes, she was willing to open herself up to the world and show what she felt.

She was irrational.

And I envied her.

With a rush, I quickly strode to my room. My Dad was completely knocked out from the pain medication, it'd take the house exploding to wake him, so I didn't bother to hide the noise of my steps. Once I was in my room, I pulled together my gear, both old and new, and planned.

The money from Lung was a nice bonus, but with the constant supervision my Dad needed, the trips to the hospital, and payment for medicine, I was going to need more.

Much more.

So I went over every map of the Bay that I had, areas that I marked that indicated gang territories. I scanned each and every one, including Brockton Bay's own banks, categorizing them according to estimated difficulty.

Then I find them.

My target.

Planning was over. It was time for action.


	7. Interlude 2

**Reaper: Interlude #2-Merchants**

"You cunt-waffles ready to party!?"

A chorus screams and yells of consent answered the crude call, almost drowning out the rhythmic pulse from the overly large speakers facing them.

"You sick fucks sound quieter than a shit-house rat's fart! I said, ARE YOU READY TO PARTY!?"

Once more the cacophony of jeers, cheers, and anything else produced my the human orifice rocked the 'party' grounds. Somehow it was even more powerful than the last, actually drowning out the speakers pulse and actually shaking the windows of the nearby abandoned building.

In response, large amounts of confetti and drugs were blown out of pre-placed cannons, showering the still yelling crowd and once again the crowd let loose a window rattiling roar of approval. Men and women dove towards the raining drugs, kicking and screaming to get just a handful. Fights broke out almost instantly, while others preferred to make love right there in the crowd, ignoring the hoots and wolf calls they got from the many looky-lews.

Atop the massive podium, standing above the rowdy men and women, stood the Merchant's leaders. Skidmark was front and center, crooked grin showing off his impressively chipped and yellow teeth, clearly having the time of his life. Standing behind him was his main girl Squealer, and his muscle Mush, with Squealer handling the giant speakers and Mush pushing off any lackey that got too close the podium.

Looking upon the fighting, the love making, and the drug taking, Skidmark felt a warmth in his heart.

This was his kingdom, and the many gang members his subjects. E88 and the ABB could go fuck themselves with a bladed dildo, he knew the shit they thought about his crew. At least he wasn't being taken out like a bitch from some unknown cape. And with Lung gone it was time for him to make his move, show those faggot-fucks just how fucked they were when the Merchant's came knocking.

So caught up in the 'beauty' of his 'kingdom' and 'plan', he never noticed the lean shadow works it's way into his 'base'.

The shadow moved through the derelict base with super-natural ease, stepping over the few 'guards' that drugged themselves into a stupor.

Quite a few times it had to hide within the shadowed corners, enhanced by the moonless night, as a few wondering members stumbled through the "base's" hallways. Twice it came across those who were relieving themselves in the hallway, quickly knocked out through jolt or cane.

Within a few moments it came across the room it had been searching for, the one with a whole two guards and rather heavy looking door. They weren't drunk or high, so it was a plus in favor of the Merchant's. Unfortunately, neither one of them had time to react before a reinforced cane struck them both in the windpipes. With a silent scream the guard fell to the ground before subcoming to the bliss of unconsciousness.

Stepping towards the door, the shadow cocked an ear, listening to the rhythmic pulse of the "music", trying to discern it's volume. Once assured that it's volume was sufficient, the shadow slammed into the door with a devastating front kick. The door cracked, the frame groaning in protest as the bolts on the hinges flew off and landed somewhere in the hall. With a creak that was too quiet to be heard, the door swiveled open, showing off the shadows treasure.

Dollar bills of all types, piled upon each other without a care, at least four feet tall. Surprisingly or unsurprisingly all the drugs were sorted out into organized piles and labeled in alphabetical order. Worryingly, the drug piles were taller than the shadow itself.

Setting foot into the room, the shadow ignored the drugs and retrieved it's moderately sized bag.

It was time to get to work.

"Alright you all motherfucking sitzpinklers! It's time to sit the fuck down, shut the fuck up, and listen to good old Papa Skidmark!" He flashed what he thought was a hollywood winning smile, "You think you stupid sacks of Siberian sheep shits can handle that?"

Yells of agreement perforated the podium as all those who had been fighting, loving, and or sleeping gave their loved leader their substance filled attention. Squealer turned down her speakers, giving her man her undivided attention, hanging on his every word.

Skidmark opened his arms in a grand gesture, this was his moment, and nothing could ruin it.

The shadow made it's way from the open 'vault' to the 'base' kitchen, it's black sack filled to the brim with hundreds of hundred dollar bills. Unfortunately the shadow couldn't take all of their money, that would require return trips, but the shadow could at least put a damper on their drug trade.

It would also serve as a way to make sure none knew that it had been here. After all, plenty of accidents occurred in the kitchen.

Especially when one leaves the stove on.

"We. Are. Motherfucking. Bad. Asses! Am I right you cock-sucking monkeys!?"

Cries of "Yeah!" and "Fucking Yes!" abounded, making the Merchant's leader's crooked grin grow once more. The crowd loved Skidmark, and he fucking loved himself.

"Do we care what that son of a whorish cuntsack Kaiser thinks!?"

"FUCK NO!"

"Do we care what that tentacle-rape faggot Lung and his fuck-toy Bakuda think!?"

"FUCK NO!"

"Do we care what those Protectorate cock-vultures think!?"

"FUCK NO!"

"That's fucking right, you fuckin' anus boils! We don't give shit what anybody thinks! We are the mother-fuckin' Merchants!"

With a twist of the handle, the stove began to emit the deadly gas, though the shadow prevented the flame from appearing. The shadow repeated the gesture with several other stoves that surrounded that rather impressively large kitchen. Many of the stoves weren't even connected to the gas-line, and the shadow wondered why they would have a broken stove in the first place.

Once the shadow was finished with it's makeshift sabotage, it was about to retrieve it's goods when the door to the kitchen slowly opened.

"Lung got his iguana ass kicked by some unknown and now the Asian Bitch Boyz are weaker than ever! Fuckin' Kaiser thinks that all that territory belongs to him, but we'll show that sad excuse for an ubersmench, that only real men can take what they want!"

"HELL YEAH!"

"And that ain't even half of the good shit," he pointed out into the crowd, "Because we ain't fucking stopping there!"

A red eyed thug, slowly lumbered into the kitchen, eyes blinking out of sync. He was dressed in ripped leather biker gear, a bottle and pipe sticking out of his back pockets.

The thug stopped his trek once he was in the kitchen and stared blankly at the sight before him as best he could with his bloodshot eyes and reduced mental capacity.

Standing in the middle of the kitchen was someone dressed in a black coat and matching pants. Black gloves and and boots covered his limbs, but his most noticeable aspect was the white mask with a red painted on smile.

"..."

"..."

The thug rubbed his eyes, "...Fuck I'm seeing Mimes again. I knew that scotch was spiked, I knew it and I drank it anyways," he turned back to the 'mime', "You're not real. I am."

With that the thug began his trek through the kitchen, mumbling to himself. He stopped before the door, not looking back as almost shouted, "And stay the fuck away from my girl you hear? I'm already competing with clowns, I don't need drug Mimes making my chances worse."

And then he was gone, leaving through the opposite door.

After a moment, the 'mime' shook it's head, tied a metallic cable to a can of gasoline, and made it's way out the opposite way the thug had left.

Gas lingered in the air.

"We are going to take this city by the balls! Show them what real badass can do!"

The screams and cheers were constant now, everyone lost in the tide of adrenaline and drugs of all kinds. Skidmark took a moment to lay good one on Squealer, who lived up to her name, squealing in delight when it was over.

"And when the city begs and pleads for us to stop, we will." he let out a cackling laugh, "And then we are going to bend her over and show her that we weren't even half way done with her!"

Skidmark soaked in the cheers of his people, his kingdom laid out before his eyes.

"We strike..."

Once the shadow was well away from the gas filled 'base', cable still trailing, it turned back and gave one final look back at the gathered Merchants.

It saw all the chaos, the drugs, the alcohol, the diseases that they spread without a care.

It looked on at this kingdom of sin and all it's glory.

And like the bolt of Zeus it struck.

"at Daw-AAAAAGHAAGDFHDDGSAAFD!"

The base of the Merchants erupted into a tower of flame, the shockwave throwing the Merchant leaders off of their podium and into the tumbling crowd.

Glass flew through the air, striking gang members left and right. Many others were trampled or slammed into neighboring buildings, unconscious before they hit the floor.

Bones were broken and shattered, skin cut and bruised, some even catching fire from being to close to the blaze. Pure panic had set in and now the once united druggies were running to and fro, trying to escape from the sudden destruction of their 'paradise'.

None helped their pitiful leader as he lay upon those unfortunate enough to have served as his cushion. His arms were broken, his legs in pain, and he had glass peppering his back.

But no wound hurt as much as seeing his kingdom burn before his very eyes.


	8. Chapter 6

**Reaper: Chapter 2c**

The days after my successful raid on the Merchants were relatively calm and pleasant. Empire 88 was getting uppity and making strategic strikes against both the remnants of the ABB and the Merchants might as well have been ants crawling over their destroyed ant hill. I had no plans for the E88 at the moment and I was happy to let them go on and do whatever they wanted for now.

The news was all over the "Merchant Fire" of course, with interviews of injured Merchants and plenty of shots of the burned out wreckage that was once the center of the there was some surprise that there were so few deaths involved in the fire, only a couple bodies were found in the building and most deaths came from the panic induced trampling.

I didn't care so much about the casualties as the main reason I wanted to strike them at all was a combination of monetary gain and to relieve the stress of Sierra. It also helped to make sure they didn't try to move in on the territory that my house was on. Hell would freeze before Merchants began knocking on my door.

According to one loud mouthed member, it was really their "base", but actually just a "party" house they use from time to time. I had problems with that for two reasons: a.) I was 90% sure that was bullshit since no one was stupid enough to have that much money and drugs in a random building and b.) They were most likely too stupid to have more than one major base of operations. Still, the authorities were reluctantly agreeing with the thug's assertion, at least for the time being

Speaking of authorities, I was a little surprised and worried when they stated that the most probable cause was arson. They explained how the plastic remains and chemical evidence all pointed to an amateur arsonist getting his kicks in light buildings.

I suppose I'd have to stay clear of any arson related activities for the time being then. I was clearly too inexperienced with the science for it to be of any use.

Yet.

Unfortunately, my pleasant days were abruptly brought to an end by something that I should have really seen coming.

Lung had escaped from his armed transport with the help of his two comrades, Oni Lee and Bakuda. The PRT couldn't respond fast enough due to increased attacks by the E88 and the retaliation from Merchant and ABB remnants.

It got worse of course. Lung decided to announce his return with a bounty for the head of the cape that had the gall to attack him, all the while throwing Hookwolf around like a dog's favorite chew toy.

I should have killed him, I thought as I made my way down the busy sidewalk, I should never have gotten involved.

For all my logical thinking and planning ahead, it seemed that the one time I acted without thinking logically caused me the greatest pains. My injuries from Lung were mostly healed, but the bruising was greatly annoying to deal with, the Undersiders attempting to contact me for whatever reason they had, and now the bounty-

I narrow my eyes as I notice something off. I didn't slow my way down the crowded sidewalk, but I paid extra attention with my senses.

Nothing wrong that I can see in front of me, all clear.

No ones getting within an unreasonable distance that I could see or feel, all clear.

Smell was normal, slight smog from passing cars all clear.

Sound...

I could hear it now, the grunts and scoffs of annoyance.

Behind me.

Some one was causing a slight ruckus behind me, and from the occasional curses and yelps of surprise, they were going to the same way as I.

I didn't risk a look back, no need to tip them off that I knew at the moment. It was a half mile till I was near my house and I had no doubt that I could outrun them if needed, but if they knew who I was for some reason, then that would put my Dad in danger.

I made my choice.

An alley entrance came up to my left and I made a hard turn, vanishing from my pursuers. I could hear louder yelps and curses as my followers struggled to make their way out of the crowd to follow. I made several more turns further in, passing only the occasional homeless person, as I made my way. Using my E.M. sense I could 'feel' the two farther back, trying to hopelessly follow me through the maze of alleys.

I almost thought that I was in the clear, till I felt another large group of people making their way in my direction. I navigated around the group, still suspicious. Seeing the group mingle with the now closer followers did not help my sense of ease.

My speed was now at a power walk, trying not to make anymore noise that I could, but I was once again surprised to find another group of people blocking an exit out of the alley. A few more twist and turns and I find another group closing in on my position.

How the hell are they tracking me?

I was now boxed in, all my exits closed off and the groups getting closer and closer. I thought about scaling the building but that wouldn't do me any good if they decided to open fire on me. With only my baton and pepper spray, I'd have to play this one by ear.

Three minutes and 45 seconds later, and I was effectively surrounded by a variety of sunglasses wearing men and women. There were about twenty of them in all with different types of clothing to better blend in with the crowds they no doubt came from. I was a little shocked to see some of the homeless people I passed by to be apart of the crowd.

A single man stepped forward, cell phone in hand. He was dressed in casual workout clothes, but from the tenseness of his jaw and the muscle that rippled under his shirt, I could tell he was a professional.

Once he was within arms reach he held out the cell phone in an obvious meaning. I felt the need to scowl for more than one reason as I gripped the small device. Me and my father never liked cell phones after Mom died, but being basically forced to accept one by a group of shady professionals didn't help at all.

With a small sigh I closed my eyes, focusing on my stalkers with their E.M. Fields before asking, "Hello."

"Ms. Hebert," the smooth voice replied, "I'd like to pay for your services."


	9. Chapter 7

**Reaper: Chapter 2d**

I admit that being offered a job was not what I had thought was going to happen to me today, but I suppose it was better than the alternative.

"Really," act casual, "And what do I have that you'd like to make that offer?"

"If my sources are correct Ms. Hebert, and they almost always are, what you did to Lung and the Merchants is exactly what I'd like to have."

Shit. He knew, somehow he knew. How the hell could he have picked me out of the millions of people that lived in Brockton Bay?! No one had even seen me in action except for Lung and... the Undersiders. Which one though? Grue was the leader, but he sounded genuinely grateful. Bitch and Regent didn't really talk but I got the feeling that they didn't care one way or the other.

Then... the blonde, the one who Grue turned to.

Tattletale.

Outwardly I answered, "What makes you think that I'm for sale? And looking at the mercenaries surrounding me, I have to say that I don't feel very comfortable in career choices at the moment."

"Ms. Hebert, let me tell you that I greatly dislike playing games when I could be doing business. You and I both know that you have some sort of ability to disable my guards one way or the other. I am not a stupid man Ms. Hebert." he sounded annoyed now.

I didn't care however, he had just unwittingly gave me a multitude of information.

He knows that I can disable the guards but unaware of the means, I thought as I played with the thin metal cable that coiled underneath the mercs feet, Not cameras, otherwise he would have specified. Some sort of surveillance... possible parahuman? Either Thinker or Pre-cognitive, a slim chance of Tinker as well. Already confirmed male, obviously has an impressive pool of resources to have this many mercs this well embedded. Let's throw a curve ball and see how he swings.

"I agree 100%," I say after a moment, "So, let's stop playing Cat and Mouse, Mr. Coil."

Silence for a long time. I noticed that the surrounding men and women began to look even more tense than before, and it was obvious that they were uncomfortable with the lack of any noticeable conversation. They were probably expecting a kill order now that I revealed who my mysterious "customer" was.

"...How... never mind. My sources did say to be wary of you."

"You should have listened to them Coil. I have all the funds I need, and have no interest in being apart of your criminal gang... either of them."

Another pause, before he answered, "What if it was in your father's interests?"

My eyes widened in shock before narrowing in anger and realization. Of course he'd know about my father, he knew this much about me didn't he? I shouldn't have been surprised that a criminal would threaten my Dad, but to have it actually happen was like a cold slap to the face. One that I would reciprocate with twenty dead mercs if need be.

"Coil, let me tell you right now, that threatening my family will not end well for you. At all." a hardness that I found surprising entered my voice.

"No, no, you misunderstand. I'm not threatening you or your father, Ms Hebert. I'm actually offering to pay you a substantial amount of money, as well as the best kind of medical care a rich man such as myself can afford for your father.

I know you've been hitting these gangs in order to pay for the nurses and the medication and the hospital visits. Not to mention every day appliances and needs that a family would have to have. Even with the amount that your exploits have gained I can tell you right now, that you and your father would still be in debt even after recuperating. And unless Panacea comes back a month early, there is no way for it to let up. You're father was not the only one harmed from the Crusaders bombings, but at least he can be healed. It'd be foolish to decline such an offer."

Maybe. He made a lot of sense, but I couldn't let him know that it struck home in more ways than one, "And it would be foolish to let myself accept without meeting and signing my contract for myself."

He murmured something out of range of the phone before coming back. He sounded exasperated, "You are a rather hard bargain Ms. Hebert, but I am willing to meet with you face to face, if it would earn your trust. I'll even go over a few things that I feel would be best said off the phone.

Come here at 11:30 p.m., I'll have a man here to take you to our meeting spot. I'm sure you understand to come alone?"

I answered in the positive, and was rewarded with a 'beep' signaling the end of the call.

The man who gave me the phone held out his hand for the return of his device, only to be surprised when I discharged enough electricity to shatter the phone.

"No take backs." I made my way through the parting crowd, wary of any attack. I let out a sigh of relief as I made my way back onto the busy sidewalk.

I was just going to go home and crash for a few hours.

11:20 p.m.

It had been easy to trick my Dad into thinking that I was going to bed early, and it was a relief when Sierra had to leave sooner due to her brother or something like that.

I had gotten here twenty minutes ago, and spent the time observing the man Coil had sent here from the rooftops. The man was tall and muscular, easily 6 feet if an inch, and judging by the way he twirled and handled his pistol, clearly an expert with firearms. He had no noticeable features about him other than his height and blonde crew-cut hair, his face was plain and unmarked. No tattoos, no jewelry, no disfigurements.

Coil picked a smart choice.

At a 11:29 I had triple-checked my repaired cloak, cane, baton, and pepper spray. I also got a new reel of metal wire that I attached to my cane and baton, just in case I lost my grip on them for a quick retrieval.

As soon as my watch hit 11:30, I was already leaping off the roof's edge, wire firmly attached to both myself and the roof generator that served as my anchor. Once I was a proper distance down, I cut myself loose of the wire and landed gracefully on both feet.

I have to admit, the start grunt from the Gunman was very satisfying.

Once he regained his mental footing, he gave me a sour look and made his way down the alley, obviously expecting me to follow.

With great caution and reluctance I did the same.

After another twenty minutes of walking through darkened streets and alleys, we arrived at a rather generic apartment building.

It looked abandoned from what I could tell, but when the Gunman knocked in some pattern the ground beneath us began to slowly sink. The Gunman seemed utterly nonchalant by this development, so I moved my hands away from the nob that would unsheathe my blade and focused on the task at hand.

Eventually, our strange elevator came to a stop behind two metal double doors that soon opened automatically. A sparkling metal hallway met my eyes as we both took a step out of the elevator and walked towards the door at the end of the hall.

I pretended to inspect the hallway as the Gunman began to fiddle with an electronic box beside the metal door. After a few muttered curse words he was rewarded with a ping and the sound of a lock moving out of place.

The Gunman made an "after you" gesture, then stepped out of the way. His job was clearly over, and it was my time to make headway.

I took hold of the metallic handle, turning it with cautious slowness before entering the white room.

"Ah, Ms. Hebert. Right on schedule, just as I predicted."

Before me sat the man himself. Coil was dressed in a black full body suit with a white snake coiling down his front, baring it's fangs in my direction. The costume made his slim physique look downright unhealthy, as though a gentle breeze could topple him over.

Behind him stood two bodyguards, armed with Tinker made assault rifles and from the way they were held, knew how to use them too. Two cameras were focused on me, both in opposite corners of the room.

I had no doubt that he had other traps in wait, so I refrained from taking another step forward.

"I'd prefer if you would refrain from using my name so freely Coil, you don't have to violate my privacy anymore than you already have." it was the most I've talked when in gear and it felt uncomfortable. I enjoyed being as silent as possible.

Coil nodded in understanding, "I have no problem with that. In fact I've made several code-names that would best suit your looks and needs when you join." he waved towards a slim file to his left.

"You know what I want first Coil."

Once again he nodded, "Specifics, correct?"

A mere nod was all the answer he needed.

"What I would have you do if you were to join my cause, are two tasks," he raised one finger, "One: You will be my enforcer, bodyguard, and assassin, used to take care of those who are a threat to my cause. If it relieves your conscious, I will tell you that many of your targets are unrepentant killers and monsters."

I said nothing. My conscious was hardly a concern for me anyways.

"Two," he continued, "I want you to join the Undersiders as my personal spy."

I tilted my head in confusion. Why would he want to spy on a group that gave him my information in the first place? Something else was going on, something that obviously was worrying him greatly if he was willing to ask for outside help.

"As you have probably already guessed, I believe that my Undersiders are not nearly as loyal as they claim. I have no concrete proof of any treachery, but Tattletale and Grue have always struck me as a problematic pair. Grue for his morals and Tattletale for our rather... clashing personalities.

In exchange for your services I shall offer you and your father my utmost protection, triple the amount you'd make raiding the other gangs, and the best medical aid my money can buy. As soon as you agree to this offer, my aid shall begin immediately as well as your services, with this building serving as your base of operations. Do you accept my terms?"

Did I? I had no real feelings towards the Undersiders in anyway, and he was offering my Dad free medical aid. I didn't even really need the money itself, but it was a nice bonus. I'd be making myself well-known to both heroes and villains, and Lung would no doubt recognize me once I went public. From previous readings on the Undersiders, they operated in quick get aways, rarely if ever actually sticking around to fight head on. I could work with that, especially if they stuck to small crimes like usual.

I made my decision.

"I accept."

"Good," he pointed to the folder, "Inside is all the relevant information on the Undersiders and their powers, as well as pass-codes for entering and exiting the building as well as the protective equipment. Do not request for any new gear until you've joined the team, that way it passes by Tattletale. Please choose a code-name quickly, as I want you to integrate as soon as possible."

I nodded in acceptance. Coil nodded back and with a subtle gesture both guards followed him out of the building.

I took the folder from the desk and released a sigh. I might as well get over the easiest part. I opened the folder and leafed over to the page filled with code-names with written commentary from Coil.

Electric Eel. No, too telling. Shadow, too generic and it was similar to one of the Wards. Mime, had no impact.

Almost all the names had negative commentary and I was about to groan in exasperation until something caught my eye.

Reaper.

There was some commentary on the side, but I paid it no mind. I circled the name and began my next stage of planning.

How to explain this to Dad...


	10. Interlude 3

**Reaper: Interlude #3-Coil/Tattletale**

**TIME LINE A**

"Tattletale. I'm assuming that your early call is due to Lung being incapacitated."

Coil could feel the smirk on the blondes face, "Yep. The villain was right where you said she'd be, and get this. She took down Lung herself!"

Coils eyes widened behind his mask. That was definitely unexpected, "Really? I have a hard time believing it to be so."

"Well, she did. Doubt he'll be going anywhere anytime soon." A pause, "What happened in the other timeline?"

Coil scowled, he hated the fact that Tattletale knew of his power. He knew the risks when he 'recruited' her, but he had foolishly assumed that simply staying out of her sight would be a strong enough deterrent. Tattletale never let him live that failure down.

"Boss? Done reminiscing yet? Hellooo-"

"Yes, I am here," he growled out, "And for your information, I closed the timeline when the unknown villain proceed to slaughter you all one by one. Are you satisfied now?"

"Never!" oh, he could strangle the uppity little-... well there was always next time.

"That will be all Tattletale," he grated out, "Be prepared for your next mission soon."

"Got it Boss!" another invisible smile and the line was dead...

**TIME LINE B**

...and Coil promptly drew his personal laser pistol and proceeded to gun down his two personal guards. Coil reclined back into his seat as he listened to their dying screams of pain.

With a hearty sigh, he collapsed the time-line...

**TIME LINE A**

...and began to sort through the files the PRT had sent him on the latest activities of the Crusaders.

**TIME LINE A**

"Ah, Tattletale. I'm sure you're wondering what I've called you here for."

"Not really. It's about that new villain cape right?"

Coil nodded slowly, "Yes, I hear from my reports that she's seemed to have captured your interests. Has there been anything new to share?"

"Meh," she shrugged, "Not much. Besides her fighting skills being pretty damn good, I've got nothing to tell you."

Coil took a deep breathe...

**TIME LINE B**

...and promptly locked down all the exits.

Coil savored the look of confusion as it morphed into fear and understanding. She looked back and forth, trying to find some flaw in her makeshift prison, trying to think of what to say to get out of this situation. Nothing was going to go wrong for him though.

Coil was a very thorough person.

"I'll tell you the truth Sarah," Coil whispered, "This is only partly because I know that you know more than you're letting on."

He withdrew a syringe and switchblade, the sharpened metal glistening under the office lights.

"Mostly," he said as stalked towards the now cowering girl, "It's therapeutic."

Coil lunged...

**TIME LINE A**

...and dropped the more pleasant timeline.

"I see. I was hoping you had found something new. Very well then, I'll have your mission by the end of next week."

Tattletale looked over Coil strangely before shrugging and accepting his dismissal, a skip in her step as she exited his lair.

Once the blonde cape was gone, Coil pulled out his laptop and made a note for himself:

Taylor Hubert(?)

Frequents Library

Counter for Tattletale(?)

Go through Dinah retrieval plans B-E, possibly redo(?)

**(Tattletale)**

"Hey Tatts', what's going on- whoa!"

Stepping inside the room/office space of his colleague Tattletale, Grue was momentarily speechless by what he saw.

Wall to wall was covered in sticky notes, probably detailing information on important Brockton Bay dealings. Brian couldn't tell, most of the notes were in a shorthand form that only Lisa could decipher. What he could tell was that many pictures were of a similar subject: A tall, skinny, short-haired white girl in various parts of the city. Some looked like the were taken in the Bay's library, while others looked like they had been taken from high angled rooftops.

"Oh hey Brian, I was just going to ask if pizza Alec ordered had arrived yet. I'm practically starving here."

Brian didn't reply still noticing how several rubber bands connected the mystery girl to several newspaper clippings of the Merchant Fire. Further inspection showed more connections to the Lung articles, but it was when he saw the artist's representation of the gang member's "ghost cape" that it all clicked.

"Lisa," he said slowly, "Did you find out the identity of the villain that nearly killed Lung? Please tell me you did not..."

He groaned as he saw the guilty smile appear on her face, "Lisa, you just broke an unspoken rule, against the girl that took out motherfucking Lung!"

"Look, I know it looks bad," she held her arms out in a calming gesture, "But I really, really, think she could be a useful member of the team."

"Wasn't it it just a few nights ago, that you were panicking because she cold clocked your powers?"

She flipped her hand nonchalantly, "Well yeah, but now that I got a bead on this girl, I think I can convince her!"

"Uh huh," Brian said, clearly not entirely convinced. He took another look at the detailed photographs, of the many question marks and theories, the guesses of her personality...

And Brian smirked.

Lisa immediately caught on, "What. No. Wha- It's not even close to being like that!"

Brians smirk didn't faulter, "Oh I'm sure it isn't. Don't worry Lisa I won't jud- Hey! No throwing pens at the team leader!"

Brian dashed to the door as two more pens pelted his back, a third skimming his hair, laughing the entire time.

"Next time you come in here I'll throw the stapler!" laughter was all that answered her.

Lisa huffed before turning back to her disposable laptop and began to check the PHO Forums for any information. Of course that'd be the first conclusion he'd jump to, it's not like he knew why she wanted so many powerful capes on her side. She didn't even have time for things like that anyways, Coil wasn't going to sabotage himself!

An alert in her inbox caught her attention, a forwarded from Alec. Of course he wouldn't tell her in person, the lazy ass. Any bad mood she might have felt was instantly evaporated upon reading the message three times over, a vulpine grin replace it.

Oh, this, this is going to be fun.


	11. Chapter 8

**Reaper: Chapter 2e**

"Hey Dad?"

"Yes?"

"I... I have something important that I need to tell you."

My Dad looked up from his newspaper, a worried frown on his face. I had jury rigged a system of strings, so that I could place the papers in front of him without having to flip through pages myself. The fact that he felt more independent was a nice bonus as well.

"It's nothing too serious, but it will affect both our lives, and I think for the good too!"

"Taylor, you're kind of scaring me here kiddo." The frown on his face had gotten deeper. "What's going on?"

I pretended to take a deep breath, mentally reviewing the script that I had memorized beforehand.

It was time to test how good my acting really was.

"Dad," I paused for effect, "I've joined a parahuman group. I'm... I'm a cape."

I let the words sink in, observing the conflicting emotions that raged across my Dad's face. I could make out feelings of surprise, shock, horror, and – strangely enough – relief. I briefly wondered what he had been thinking that he would make him feel relief, but he was already beginning to regain his mental footing.

"Wha—Taylor, that's... wow, are you sure?"

I gave him what I thought was a rueful look, "Trust me Dad. I know."

We didn't say anything for awhile after that. Dad stared off into space, newspaper clippings completely forgotten, and I took the time to adjust my "script," for any further obvious questions. Honestly, people could be so hard to predict sometimes.

A small cough brought my attention to Dad, his face sterner than I'd seen in awhile. "You said that you are part of a group," he said. "Taylor... are you part of a gang?"

Ah, straight to the point then. I was impressed, as I had been expecting some more awkward assurances. The apple must not have fallen too far from the tree.

"Don't worry Dad," I smiled, "The group I'm with is actually more of a, uh what's it called, parahuman integration club." A complete lie, but still, I wasn't technically a 'part' of the Undersiders. Just a spy.

"Really," he said, sounding doubtful. I felt an inexplicable sense of pride. I was glad my Dad wasn't completely buying it.

I clasped my Dad's bandaged hands. "Really. Dad, these people do good work. The PRT and Protectorate is nice and all, but they can't handle the little things, like with the Crusaders."

I felt my Dad tense at the name but I continued on, "For every hate crime they commit, my group goes about helping unsupported parahumans find jobs and places to sleep."

"But you're also putting a target on your head," he interjected, worry clear as day on his face. "The Crusaders wouldn't let those action go on without a fight."

I nodded. "I know Dad, that's why it's more of a loose coalition than a real named group. Besides, I'm not even on the frontlines. I just serve to bring power to abandoned buildings."

My father blinked. "You control electricity?"

I nodded, that impressed feeling growing once more. I had thought he would jump to Tinker, but his accurate guesses were pretty amazing. I was glad I thought this plan out ahead of time; I might have been figured out if I hadn't been careful.

Dad sighed. "You said it'd affect both our lives. I'm assuming asking for my permission to join isn't how it affects me is it?"

I laughed. "It affects us both Dad, because in exchange for powering up their buildings, you get grade-A medical treatment!"

His eyes widened as he took in the news. "Taylor, how can they afford such a thing if it's just a ragtag group?"

"We have a very rich backer," I said, which was true, "and he makes sure all our needs are taken care of." That I'd have to wait and see for myself.

Another long period of silence as I let my Dad go over what I had just dropped on him. It was apparent to both of us that Dad hated the way he was rendered helpless, how he was forced to rely on me when he felt I should be enjoying life with my friends. I never did tell him about Emma and her fellow tormentors, and thinking back on it, I didn't understand why.

It didn't matter anyways. My bullied form just added another form of deception for those who'd want my real identity. They can't find your real face if you hide yourself behind masks after all.

"Taylor, when did you trigger? Was it... was it during the Locker?"

Hmm, I thought he had forgotten to ask. It was a trivial thing to focus on, but I guess he just felt like knowing.

"Yes," I lied. "It was shortly after being freed. When I had those panic attacks and nightmares." Also a lie.

Tears began to form in my Dad's eyes. "Taylor... Oh god, I'm so sorry!"

What happened next surprised me. My Dad forced himself off his padded bed and leaned his head against my shoulder, tears flowing as he murmured apologies and assurances.

I nearly froze from the shock of the action, it's spontaneousness catching me off guard in more ways than one. Eventually I reciprocated with a hug, a thoughtful frown upon my face. The event had happened so long ago and my Dad's injuries were a much bigger priority. I felt we had both crossed that bridge, so why was he making such a big deal about it? It happened and that was it.

Maybe it was because he thought it made me trigger? I suppose it would be worrisome if I was an illogical person, but back then it was just an inconvenience, one that I turned into another mask.

This would require more thought in the future.

Eventually my Dad stopped the apologies and tears, having fallen asleep on my shoulder. Forcing himself from the bed, plus the painkillers and other medications must have tired him out more than usual.

I gently laid him back on his bed, pulling the blanket up to his chest and tucking him in. Finished, I stood and gave my Dad one more blurry parting glance.

I blinked. Blurry?

Further inspection showed that, yes, my eyes were filled to the brim with water. Strange, I hadn't placed any tear drops before I began my act.

Wiping the water from my eyes, I thought back through the strange events that had just occurred and shrugged, leaving the room and my Dad in peace.

It must have been allergy season.


	12. Chapter 9

**Reaper Chapter 3: Reap the Re-Wards**

The night sky was beautiful.

The stars were out in full force tonight, dotting the dark unknown and rivaling the full moon with their tranquil power.

Racing across the rooftops, it felt... comforting, knowing that no matter where I was or when, that their would always be those dead suns lighting my way.

A closer inspection of our lunar body showed the abandoned form of humanity's hope, the Lunar Colony. The masterpiece of the famed Tinker, Sphere, the Lunar Colony was supposed to be Humanity's life raft, assuring our survival even as our world slowly died off.

But then the Simurgh intervened.

Not much was known about the mysterious Endbringer, besides it's T.K. and telepathy abilities, but it's attack on Sphere showed just how far they were willing to go to trap us to our fates. Partly due to the loss of Sphere, and partly fear of further attacks, the Lunar Colony was abandoned, N.A.S.A and many other space programs soon following.

Only Dragon has been known to send sattelites into the lower atmosphere, mainly to watch the Simurgh. It pained me to know that man would never reach out and try to grasp those specks of light, never to experience the space beyond as long as the Endbringers lived.

I cut off that train of thought as I land on the building closest to my destination. I was in the lower areas of the Docks, surrounded by abandoned warehouses and the rubble of buildings.

With barely a thought, I focused and immediately detected three major E.M. signatures.

Good.

I began to remove my "gear", stuffing my armoured cloak and gloves into my duffel-bag, followed closely by my cane-sword. My mask was the last to go, and I gave it a long look before placing it within the bag. It was a tight fit, but in the dead of night like this, no one would notice a few buldges in the bag. I felt uncomfortable without my main gear, but I was still armed with my pistol and baton, so I wasn't completely defenseless.

Dressed in a loose white-sleeved shirt and my black cargo pants, I made my way down the side of the building with my wire, making sure to be as quiet as possible. Once I had both feet on the ground, I disengaged from the wire and made my way towards the Undersiders

The blonde one was the first to notice my arrival, a smile on her face as I approached. If the hair wasn't a dead give away, then the calculating look in her eyes as she took in my appearance confirmed it.

Tattletale:

_-Thinker, great intuition_

_-Sees herself the main brain of the operation_

_-Hates having her intelligence insulted_

_-Brother committed suicide; PRT believe she is the cause, Coil believes it was her trigger_

The tall african-american teen was the next to notice, following Tattletales line of sight towards me. His eyes widened an inch, before a welcoming smile spread across his face. From the way his he held himself and his physique, I was reasonably sure of his identity.

Grue:

_-Shaker, sensory depravation_

_-Unofficial "Leader" of the team_

_-Joined due to legal issues with guardians, wants Coil's resources_

The curly haired caucasion teen was the last to notice me, eyes narrowed as he looked me over. He had a physique that was almost as thin as mine pre-trigger, wearing loose clothing that showed off some skin. His expression was one of detached amusement, a dead ringer for Clockwork Orange kid.

Regent:

_-Master; limited body control of a target_

_-Child of Heartbreaker, possible exposure to powers have side effects on mental and emotional health_

_-Generally uncaring as long as paid, mainly as a way to escape his father's clutches_

_-Possible ally?_

The final member, Bitch/Hellhound, seemed to be missing from the group. I widened my E.M. range, but got nothing besides a few buildings with running electricity.

Well, the file did say that she was the most anti-social of the group, it's possible she merely wanted to not be involved in the "recruitment". The fact that Grue couldn't force her to come showed how effective his status as team leader was. Then again it's possible she was injured from fighting Oni Lee.

Whatever the case may have been, it did nothing to hamper the mask that I had created for this encounter. Coil wanted me to be apart of the team and his personal spy. While I would have preferred to just use my normal persona, this infiltration would require a measure of personal bonding.

So with a barely noticeable reluctant sigh, I gave my most cheery smile, "Hi, I heard you guys wanted to talk?"

Tattletale blinked, her smile falling a few inches before going back to it's previous state, "Oh we do, but first..."

With an over-dramatic sigh she reached into her front pocket. A blip of paranoia emerged as I almost automatically assumed she had discovered my true purpose. Luckily, I resisted the urge to take hold of the arm and stomp in her knee-cap, and was rewarded with Tattletale retrieving her wallet and handing Regent a twenty dollar bill, followed by Grue.

The curly haired teen just smirked and pocketed the twenty's with a rather loud "Cha-Ching", while Tattletale and Grue merely rolled their eyes.

What the hell?

The surprise must have shown through my mask as Tattletale gave me her signature vulpine grin, "Sorry about that, but we kinda sorta had a bet on whether or not you'd show up in or out of costume. Grue and I were sure you'd be the kind that was super paranoid and armed to the teeth. Regent chose you just to be an ass."

"A rich ass, if I do recall."

Grue shook his head and smiled apologetically at me, "We're probably not making the best impression right now." He put out his hand, "I'm Grue. I hope you'll excuse me for not using my real name right away."

I shook off what remained of my confusion, mask once again in place, and took his hand, "It's no problem. I don't think I made that good an impression either, what with the silent treatment and fire."

He laughed, "Yeah, but still, major props for taking out Lung. Eye thing was a little brutal, but props nonetheless."

A whistle ended the conversation, "Are we going to introduce ourselves too? Or are we just waiting for you to stop hitting on her?"

Grue gave Regent a glare, but judging from the smirk on his targets face, I doubted it had the impact Grue wanted.

"S'up, names Regent." He gave a lazy wave, "Please refrain from popping my eyes. I've come to like them."

It took a moment, but I gave him a smirk of my own, "As long as you don't start singing in the rain, I think you'll be fine."

His eyes squinted for a second before a shit-eating grin came forth, "You know what? I think I like Ms. Skellington here."

I already had several dozen retorts that I had prepared in advance, but Tattletale cut in, "Down boy, we've got other things to do after this." She turned towards me, grin still etched across her face. I wondered whether or not she forced herself to smile or if her facial muscles had contracted to the point that it hurt not to.

Either way, it was vaguely off-putting.

Like Brian she stuck out her hand, "Hi, names Tattletale, but I bet you already knew that."

Her smile didn't change, but I had the sense that this was a test of some sort. I was beginning to hate being tested.

When the boys gave me questioning looks, I elaborated, "I did look into you guys on the PHO Wiki after the e-mail. I knew your guy's names, but it felt impolite to interrupt." I gave them a worried look, "I hope I didn't break some kind of code or...?"

Tattletale waved me off, "Nah, smart thing to do actually. Villains have every right to be cautious, even among other villains. Although I am pissed that Regent will probably be bragging about the bet-"

"Damn straight."

"It's still nice that you decided to show up. In fact..."

She turned and pulled out a lunchbox from behind her, clearly offering it to me. Hesitantly, I took it and examined my strange "gift".

It was an Alexandria Lunchbox, almost exactly the same as the one that my mother had given to me years ago, though this one seemed brand new and mine was crumpled up in a ditch somewhere. Giving a questioning look, I opened up the box and my eyes widened at the contents.

Stacks of hundred dollar bills were lined up, filling up the box to the very inch. I was completely off guard, Coil had never mentioned this as one of their recruitment pitches.

"It's about 4,000 dollars if you're wondering," her voice sounded giddy, "We all pitched in."

"Unfortunately," muttered Regent, who received a smack to the head for his troubles, courtesy of Grue.

I looked at the money for another second before turning back to the group, "Thank you. I really do appreciate this." It was true, every little bit helped me and my Dad, even if they didn't know it.

Except, I thought, Tattletale did know. She knows a lot about me. Too much.

I squashed that ember of anger before it could grow and gave them a small smile, "So... is that all?"

Tattletales eyes narrowed, but it was Grue who answered, "No actually, we-"

He paused confusion etched across his face before he chuckled, looking extremely embarrassed, "Hehe, um, we kind of forgot to ask you name?"

I blinked before realization dawned on me, and a chuckle escaped myself, "Sorry it just completely slipped my mind. My cape name is Reaper... but you could call me Taylor."

Grue's smile widened considerably, "Well then Taylor, I'm Brian. Nice to meet you. That there is Alec-"

"Have we met before?"

Grue ignored the joke and continued on, "And that's-"

"Lisa," Tattletale answered, "And it's a pleasure to meet you Taylor."

None of the boys noticed beyond her smile, but Tattletale was annoyed, probably at having her real name being given out without doing it herself.

Even if it wasn't her real name at all.

"Taylor," Grue spoke, "I know this is sudden, and even with the trust you've given us it might seem strange..."

This is it.

"Taylor, would you like to join the Undersiders?"

No, no I would not. I would like to go home to my Dad and take care of him, I would like to quit this lifestyle that I've got myself sucked into, I would like the Crusaders to disappear of the face of the Earth. I would like to-

"I would love to." I said with a smile. Grue was beaming at me, clearly ecstatic about my decision. Regent looked bored, but there was a certain mirth in his eyes, and Tattletale-

Tattletale was blank.

"Well if that's settled, then lets ditch this dump and head on home," With that Grue lead the charge, clearly expecting us to follow. Regent did after an extremely exaggerated eye-roll, but Tattletale kept with me as I followed from behind.

"..."

"...I think you'll like it here."

Channeling Madison, I gave her a very cheerful smile, "I'm sure I will."

She nodded but said nothing, her smile still there, but smaller than before.

No one said anything till we arrived at the Base.


	13. Chapter 10

**Reaper: Chapter 3b**

"Welcome, to Casa de La Undersiders!" said Regent, "Feel free to stop by the buffet, but please don't take to long. I tend to get tazy when people crowd the buffet."

The Undersider's base of operations was... underwhelming.

I had thought that due to their association with Coil they'd have an underground bunker, or at least a fortified apartment complex.

I did not expect the second floor of an abandoned warehouse. It boggled my mind as to why they did not have a more secure location. Judging from what Coil had shown me, buying an entire apartment complex, would have been a drop in the bucket for him. Had I been in the Undersider's position, I'd at least try to negotiate for a more secure housing.

Unless... unless they didn't know they were working for Coil? Yes, yes that could work. Coil could want to have his identity a secret for whatever reason, and someone, most likely Tattletale, would report to him. I'd have to consider my orders care-

"Wow," groaned Grue, "I have never heard someone butcher a foreign language quite like you Alec. Look, you traumatized poor Taylor here."

I blinked, before I realized that I had been suspiciously quiet for my mask. Luckily I recovered quickly with a small, 'nervous', smile, "Sorry. It's just, well, I was expecting... you know." I smirked, "And yeah, that was really bad R-Alec. Pretty sure everyone who speaks a different language just shuddered."

A careless shrug, "Yeah, well my sis was the language geek, my spanish knowledge came from reading a Taco Bell menu."

"You don't have a sister," Grue deadpanned.

I blinked again. Grue didn't know that Regent had siblings? Interesting.

Further musings were broken by Tattletale as she skipped over towards the couch, pulling me along with her. She took a seat near the corner, patting the area next to her, and I obliged.

I had to be careful around Tattletale, her Thinker ability gave her astonishing jumps in conclusions, usually just by noticing body tells and tones of voice. Who knew what else she could tell with her other senses.

Also she was the one who blew my cover and a part of me was very annoyed by that. Which was... no, this was actually a perfectly logical feeling.

Fuck Tattletale.

"So what do you think?" she smiled that smile which had become her trademark. I wondered if she'd smile if she knew that I had imagined a multitude of ways to cause her the most pain. It was a surprisingly comforting thought.

"I'm just so... well overwhelmed," I returned her smile, "And a little exciting too. Never thought I'd be a part of a team before! I hope we get along!"

She smiled again, but it didn't reach her eyes, which also seemed to lack the twinkle they had in them before. It was such a drastic change in demeanor that I didn't really know what to say.

Suddenly, a cacophony of barks came forth, breaking Tattletale and I out of our reverie.

I knew who it was, but "Reaper" didn't, "What's with all the barking? Strays?"

Grue walked over and sighed, "No, it looks like Bitch is back from her walk."

"Oh! Then she was the one with the giant -er- things?"

Grue nodded, "Yep, she's the main muscle and transportation." His face had a look of concern before he continued, "Look, she can be a bit, um, well she's, uh-"

"She's a bitch."

"Shut up Alec," Grue scowled but ignored him, "She's tough to understand sometimes, so don't feel bad if she's a little cold."

I knew all this before, but that was why I had chosen this mask. It would help disarm her mentally and allow me to get in close.

It was already working for the rest of them.

"Oh don't worry, I think we can get along just fi-"

The barks suddenly turned to howls and growls, the stairs leading up to the open door clanging from the assorted canines bounding them. Grue turned towards the open door and his face nearly went white with how much he paled.

I didn't even have time to question his response when the first dog sprinted through the doorway, slobber flying from it's jaws, teeth bared the entire time. The dog completely ignored Grue, who was running frantically towards the door frame, it's full attention focused on it's target.

Me.

My eyes widened as the canine made a running leap, but my hands were already moving. With a flick of the wrist, my baton slipped from the inside of my sleeve and into my hand. The momentum caused it to extend to it's full length, and by the time the dog touched ground, an electrical charge of a taser was running through the metal tool.

The dog lept once more, only for it's open jaws to meet improvised taser. A "thwack", and the dog was sent across the room. I had no time to relax as a second dog broke through the improvised blockade that Grue attempted to make with his body.

Tattletale was screaming something, and in my peripheral I could see Regent running towards Grue who was holding back the third dog, a butch woman standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. I put these in the back of my mind as the smaller, yet just as viscious second dog tried to clamp down on my leg. A quick back-step, and I retaliated with strong punt to the dogs head.

Like the first, dog number two went sliding across the floor. Number one was already regaining it's balance, and Number two would be back in a moment, but I could care less about them. My full attention was on the snarling woman in the doorway.

Bitch.

She tried to make her way towards me, but I was already in her space, her eyes widening at my sudden appearance. A quick knee to the abdominals and she bent over, heaving and gasping for air. An upper-backhand sent her back a few steps and I followed up with a few jabs. Once. Twice. A wild swing from her, easily batted away by me, and joined with a straight right to the nose.

Blood was gushing from her nose and cut cheek, practically painting the front of her sweatshirt and neck.

I didn't let up.

Another jab to the nose, disorientation. A kick to the outside right knee, unbalance. Catch the backhand, several rapid punches to the ribs and kidney, follow up with a second knee to the abdominal. Bent over forward, unleash a front kick to the once again exposed rib cage.

Dog number two leapt at me from the side. I didn't even bat an eyelash as I redirected it's trajectory towards the floor, a kick sliding it back through the doorway.

Dog number one was next when a gurgling sound stopped it in it's tracks. Dog number three and two both did the same, three relaxing in Grue's arms, and two keeping itself on the ground. After another gurgle, I turned my attention towards the crumpled form of Bitch.

She had two fingers in her bloody mouth, and every time she tried to blow, blood spurted between the parted lips. Eventually I could almost make out the sound of a whistle.

Ah, that's why the dog's stopped then. She had given up.

Motherfucker.

I turned back to a panting Grue and Regent, both who were looking at me like a man looking at a cooked grenade.

Motherfucker!

"What. The. Fuck!?"

No one answered.

Standing behind the couch, I thought I could see the twinkle return to Tattletales eyes.


	14. Interlude 4

**Reaper: Interlude #4-Grue and Tattletale**

(Grue)

There's a time in every man's life when he is left utterly speechless. Sometimes it occurs at a young age, when the world is full of sunshine and rainbows, or when they are older and they find themselves questioning their lifelong beliefs.

For Brian Laborn, it was watching a new recruit kick the ever-loving shit out of one the toughest women he had ever known.

Taylor had descended upon Rachel like a force of nature, raining blow after blow in the most calculated way possible. Even while holding back on of Rachel's damned hounds, Brian couldn't help but admire the precision in how she had utterly destroyed her. Rachel had lived a life on the run, from the PRT to other Villains, and the few times that he had gotten her to spar with him, she had been a raging animal but also showed a surprising amount of skill in evading blows.

Taylor might as well had been kicking a three-legged puppy.

After the beat-down and following explosion from Taylor, Brian had been all set to go and try to sort out the hell of a mess, but Lisa had beaten him to the punch. Even now the girls were engaged in whispered conversation well away from his and Alec's ears, but Brian was content to let them have it. He had other things to attend to anyways.

Like picking up the pieces of his very, very, irritating teammate.

Rachel's entire face was basically a bruise, and the bandages did little in hiding the swelling, though she did pull off a pretty good impression of a mummy. It had been a hassle in getting her bandaged in the first place, what with her being completely focused on comforting her rather surprisingly distressed hounds.

She has bruised ribs, ankles, a broken nose, and a nasty cut to her cheek, he thought with a sigh, she still manages to comfort her dogs.

"Rachel," he whispered harshly, "We need to talk."

She didn't respond, and Brian got the idea that she was averting her eyes. It wasn't the first time she had done so, usually whenever she crossed a line of his she wouldn't dare look him in the eye. He didn't know if she picked it up from her dogs or what, but he really wished she would listen that well all the time.

"What the fuck did you think you were doing? You just up and attacked Taylor! Hell, you set your dogs on her!"

Her reply was barely a whisper, and Brian cupped a hand to his ear.

"What was that?"

"...Protecting. Split more money more we have here." She paused, "She hurt my dogs."

Brian grimaced, he understood about financial problems, but she had crossed the line. His line.

"What, exactly, did you think was going to happen Bitch? She put down Lung, indirectly yeah, but Jesus Christ she made his eyes pop! You brought this on yourself, now I have to make sure that nothing was ruined because of it."

Rachel said nothing, the dip of her head and low murmur that escaped her bandaged mouth being the only way to know she had responded at all. Brian opened his mouth to say more, but stopped. There was no way that he was getting more out of her than he had already, and honestly, he didn't want to try.

With a grunt, he left Rachel to her spot on the floor, surrounded by her dogs, alone.

He still had to try to make things right.

Lisa and Taylor were still in the middle of their hushed conversation, but Brian knew that he had to apologize for what Rachel had done. Luckily Lisa left just as he arrived, a wink from her as she made her way towards Rachel.

_Thank god for your power Lisa._

"Hey Taylor."

Said girl flinched, and Brian had to fight to hold back a wince. She was probably still in an adrenaline rush, and surprising her from behind was not the best way to start an apology.

"O-Oh hey Brian, you startled me." She gave him a nervous smile, and Brian felt his heart pang. She had been so accepting of the idea of joining the team, only to be attacked by a member and her dogs. Even if she hardly got a scratch from it, Brian would eat his shoes if it wasn't a nerve-wracking experience.

_Then again she did beat Lung_, he mused, _Wait, did she join to avoid being hunted by Lung? Shit, now I feel worse._

Outwardly he said, "I'm sorry, about all of... this," he waved his hand at the room, "It wasn't supposed to be like this, we knew Rachel could be a hot head when we tried to recruit Spitfire, but I didn't think she'd just plain attack you. After all the shit you probably put up with now that Lung's back, and-"

"Brian, Brian! Calm down! I understand."

Brian paused, "-You do?"

Taylor nodded her head, an understanding smile on her face, "Yes T-Lisa, explained it all to me."

A frown, "Really."

"Yes, she told me how Bitch's dogs probably smelt someone unknown in their territory and how she's extra paranoid after being on the run so long. I mean I'm still pissed at her for attacking me in the first place, but at least I understand somewhat."

Brian made sure to keep the best poker face he had as he visualized high-fiving Lisa and made note to give her a bonus come next job.

"So..." he said slowly, "We're cool?"

She nodded.

_Huh. Might as well ask now._

"You know Taylor those moves of your's were pretty damn impressive. If you wouldn't mind, would you like to spar sometime? Teach each other some combo's and all that." _Was that too hopeful? It sounded too hopeful._

The blank look on her face nearly mirrored the previous one on his.

Brian let out a sigh of relief when the confusion on her face made way to a smile, "I'd like that Brian."

Brian let out a smile of his own.

_She has a nice smile on her._

(Tattletale)

Taylor had left an hour after the "fight", and Lisa had left Rachel in her room to sleep off the pain pills she had given her. Alec was in the living room, still moaning about how he wasn't able to get the "beat-down of the century" on his phone for future viewing. Brian was making his way to her room as she continued to write down more of what she had learned in the past few hours.

Light steps, trying to keep the noise down for Rachel

Clashes with anger from before, still considers her a teammate

Happy that Taylor is staying, willing to forgive

Lisa let out a small smile as she continued with her work. She had nothing against Rachel, as she knew the primary problem with her social issues, and was willing to look past the faults and the abrasiveness.

"Come in Brian, doors unlocked."

Her smile grew as the steps stopped just before the door, and she could hear the grumbling of her "Leader" as he stepped in, though it was in good fun.

"I see the post it notes of multiplied, have you been feeding them after midnight?" he smirked.

Lisa rolled her eyes, not even needing her power to guess the reference, "Haha Brian. You should stick to villainy, at least your mildly good at it."

Brian gave an exaggerated wince and clutched at his heart, "You wound me. And after all we've been through!"

Great mood, smiling more than normal, that happy about Taylor?

Came to visit me, smiling more, happy about Taylor

Thinks I was involved in her decision to stay.

Lisa smiled, "Let me guess, you're happy that Taylor decided to stay."

Once again, Brian smiled, "You bet I am. We've been lucky so far-"

"Thanks to me."

"-Sure. But now we got some real muscle for our group in case things get dicey. Bitches dogs were a lifesaver, but I'd rather not have a dog decide to go wild while "Hulked" out."

Lisa shrugged, still not looking from her work, "I doubt that would happen, Rachel has some uncanny dominance over her dogs, and she knows some restraint. Especially when you give the orders."

Brian snorted at that.

Disappointed in how the meeting went, anger at Rachel

Body tense, needs reassurance, blames himself

Wants mental and physical comfor-

Lisa cut that line of thought, "Don't be too mad at Rachel. She's always been a lone wolf and it's hard for her to understand others in a team."

"Speaking of," he began, "I wanted to thank you for what you said to Taylor. That was clever of you to paint Rachel as slightly paranoid and too trusting of her dogs. She said that she can understand why Rachel acted the way she did thanks to you."

Lisa paused and blinked. Then blinked again. Then a third time, "Did she now..."

"Yeah and," He smiled with all his teeth, "I finally got a sparring partner. No longer have to put up with you slackers. Hell, maybe after this I'll get Rachel to join more often as well!"

Lisa returned his smile with one that barely reached her cheeks. Brian said a final thanks and 'goodnight' then headed off home. Lisa sat staring at the closed door for five minutes according to her power before turning back to her notes.

Re-reading her notes, Lisa could already feel the comings of a migraine:

Handles concealed weaponry with ease

Physical strength and speed above average for girl of her age, steroids?

No, thin physique points to workout routine, fighting style was basic but efficient, long time training

Confirmed electric user based on dog jitters, Blue aura and red eyes during fight, power side effect

Ruthless in fight, practical, tactical

Outward signs of emotion subdued, Angered at sudden attack, possibly expecting betrayal earlier, soon reverts back to blank, possible power effect

Power does not correspond to emotional/non-emotional state

Assassin

Hero

Villain

Can't get a proper read without external circumstances

DANGER


	15. Chapter 11

**Reaper: Chapter 3c**

Back in my base of operations, I weighed what I had gained and lossed from my meeting with the Undersiders.

Well I had gained confirmation on their civilian identities and personalities. Grue had bought my act hook-line-and sinker, and while Regent wasn't so trusting, it was apparent that as long as it didn't involve him he didn't give a damn. Comparatively, Tattletale and Bitch were huge problems.

I'd have to be on my guard when it came to retaliation. Hopefully my display of physical dominance would make her think twice, but considering what Tattletale had told me about her, she could be a problem in the future.

Tattletale.

The Thinker was just as calculating as I had thought she would be. It was clear to me that she was the plan maker, the one who chooses the when and how. Grue was the figure head that inspired motivation and teamwork, while Tattletale used every ones strengths to their advantage. I had wondered why she was in the front lines at all, but if Bitch was unreasonable enough to attack me for no reason, then it wasn't a stretch to believe that she had forced Tattletale to that role.

The idea of Bitch sicking dogs on Tattletale made me smile, but that was quickly cut down when I remember her words previously...

**(Earlier that Night)**

I sat on one of the spare kitchen chairs, trying to control my breathing. My mask was broken for the moment, anger bursting forth and leaving me vulnerable.

That would not do.

Already I was getting a hold on my diaphragm, counting the beats of my heart while trying to get back my mask. I would need it if I was to fix the mess that Bitch had made of me. She was obviously not right in the head, though the way Coil phrased it was hilariously underwhelming. I'd have to make not to be more wary of given information in the future.

Someone sits down on the chair across from me, though they don't say a word. I sneak a peek and nearly curse aloud at my misfortune.

Tattletale still had the twinkle in her eyes from when I had finished my work with Bitch, and her vulpine grin was back in place. I honestly wondered how Coil was able to keep a leash on someone like her with a power that made quick work of your outer defenses.

"That was an impressive display of martial arts, you been training a lot?"

I really, really, did not like where this was going.

"No, just did some basic self defense stuff they teach at the YMCA," might as well downplay my abilities as much as possible, "My Dad taught me some shadowboxing but I never really felt that it would come in handy."

That damnable grin never left her face, "Taylor, I'm not an idiot." She whispered, "Those were basic fighting techniques yes, but the way they connected perfectly and transitioned from defense to offense was beyond any basic level."

Shit. Fucking Thinkers.

"And," she continued, "As a teammate, I feel that I should be honest with you."

I said nothing, my face perfectly blank, but my mind was going a mile a minute as she leaned in close.

"I knew about your identity before this Taylor," well duh, "but I also know that you are not who you say you are."

My eyes widened as she got up to leave, an innocent smile on her face as she passed by me. Something dropped in my lap, and my confusion grew as a crumpled piece of paper lay there. I quickly pocketed it as I heard someone approach me from behind...

**(Now)**

Sitting at my desk, dressed in my full gear -sans mask- I stared at the still crumpled paper ball. An iota of fear flickered at the thought of what could be written on it, but I squashed it quickly.

Curling into a ball of fear would not be the logical course of action to take now and would only serve to be my undoing. The best thing to do would be to report to Coil the events that had transpired and-

My thoughts were cutoff as the alert on my computer monitor showed that someone had set off the perimeter alarms. I pocketed the ball of paper and turned on the outside camera.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Standing outside of the empty building that made up my base's facade, was the Gunman and a trio of Coils mercenaries. Thankfully, they weren't dressed in Coil's ridiculous gear like last time, but it was still suspicious to see three grown men and women in business attire outside an abandoned building, so I hastily activated the entrance elevator.

While they descended into my base, I made sure to apply my white mask and equip my weapons. It never hurt to be cautious when dealing when professionals.

Not a second after double checking my gear, the mercenary entourage entered my office, Gunman leading the way. He didn't even bother to hide the sneer that appeared upon seeing me, and judging from the looks of the others, they apparently felt the same way.

_Obviously angry at my presence, still mad at me sneaking up on him?_

_Judging from how closely they operate, they've worked as a team for a long time._

_Gunman easily the deferred leader of the group, the woman stealing glances when not looking, obvious attraction._

_E.M. highly concentrated around Gunman's ear, hidden earpiece? Coil._

They were professional, but so full of holes it would be trivial to incapacitate them. All of them hand their hands in their pants pockets, clearly unworried about being in my presence, and I could see one of the men in the back yawn in boredom.

Gunman was the only one who kept his eye on me the whole time, and even then it was obvious he was listening to Coil on the other line.

I would have liked to brief Coil myself, but it was an undoubtedly smart move in preventing betrayals. Not that I would as long as my father was well taken care of.

That would be illogical.

"Hey Reaper," Gunman basically growled, "Coil's pissed at your little 'incident' with the Undersiders, says that hearing from TT how you beat the shit out of that dyke was not part of the plan. So what the fuck is up with you?"

So Tattletale immediately reported to Coil huh. Good to know.

"If Tattletale really did report to Coil after the fact, then he knows that it either that or be critically injured by her dogs. I do not fancy doing so."

"W-"

"And," I cut him off, "If he'd like to here my report, he can do it by video-chat or phone, not by sending his disposable lackeys in his stead. For now I will accept it, on the condition that you get docked a month's pay."

"T-"

"Here is a simplified report on what I have learned so far: Grue, Regent, and Bitch do not have any plans on betraying Coil as far as I know, and due to their varied life circumstances, doing so would be detrimental to what they hope to achieve. Tattletale is the wildcard due to her sense of mischief and Thinker abilities giving an unhealthy amount of insight. Luckily, the power has given her a sense of confidence that she is untouchable when it comes to intelligence. She is not.

Based on the records that Coil had retrieved, it seems that she was at the most an average student when it came to classes. Never really standing out in any class, and never reported to have the mannerisms that come with higher than average intelligence's. She did exhibit these after triggering however, which leads me to assume that while all her planning and strategies are effective due to her Thinker powers, but are also hampered by constant misuse and/or under-use.

In short, based on what I have learned, she relies on mind games to put opponents on or below her level, but would be drastically ineffective if brought into a situation where her power has little to no effect or could even backfire on her.

So no, Coil is not under any threat at the moment, now get out or I'll kill all of you. Starting with you."

Gunman and his groupies just stood there for a minute, and I could hear something that sounded like muffled curses from his earpiece. With a grimace, Gunman turned towards his men and gave them a curt nod. They copied his grimace, but complied, turning and marching out of my office.

Gunman turned to follow but gave me a look mid-step, "Coil would like to apologize and say that if you'd like anything just tell Tattletale the next time you meet. A new package of tinker medical supplies was also dropped off at your home."

With that he left my office as well. I waited till I confirmed that they had left the buildings premises before I relieved myself of my mask with a sigh, pulling out the paper ball as I did so.

It was now or never...

I opened up the ball and stared at what was before me:

_~~~ But do you? ~~~ ;-)_

The electricity couldn't burn it fast enough.


	16. Chapter 12

**Reaper: Chapter 3d**

_The black fire floats above me, tentacles of heat coiling and uncoiling along the fake sky. A fighter jet soars by, automatic guns raining hell on an unseen enemy._

_As I run across the roof tops I hear the cheers of hope as more and more jets fly by, missiles firing and cluttering the air with explosions._

_I also hear the gasps of surprise and fear as each and every jet is consumed by the writhing mass of flames, the burning wrecks flailing like swatted flies. Panic was in full motion now as everyone tried to escape the death from above, but it was too late, the tons of metal and fire blanketing the city and killing hundreds. Thousands._

_I dodged debris after debris as I continued on my way. A mostly intact Jet slams into the building I'm on, nearly knocking me off my feet as the it begins to tilt dangerously to it's right._

_My grappling hook finds a target on the neighboring structure just as it collapses fully, and I feel the heat of the black flame lick my heels before being snuffed out by the debris. Pulling myself up onto the roof, I lay on my back and try to regain my breathe. The cloud of flame still covers the sky, but it's tentacles are no longer coiling themselves, seemingly at peace now that it disturbances had ended._

_Of course it was only a matter of time before it acted again, before He acted. We had been fine with leaving him be before and now Antarctica and half of South America were a sea of black flames._

_Hell Fire._

_I sat up and began my journey across the city, I had to find some water. I had to find Y-_

I awoke with a gasp, my lungs seeking fresh air as my heart continued to beat a mile a second.

I could feel the heat from the nightmare begin to fade, and breathing slowed with it. Ironically, I had broken out in a cold sweat, but I didn't feel sick. Just scared beyond belief.

Which was illogical as it was just a dream- no -a nightmare. Yes, a nightmare from all the stress in the past week and a half. Dealing with Lung and his breaking out, the Merchants demise, and Coil with his Undersiders must have pushed me to the break. I couldn't even remember most of the nightmare now, just fire, fire everywhere, which wasn't unreasonable after Lung.

That problem being solved, I removed the sweaty blankets from my body and checked the clock: 3:48 am.

Huh, two minutes before last time. Maybe these night terrors weren't so bad after all.

I quickly undressed and put on my workout gear, plain black and grey shorts with a matching top, and a sweat band around my head. While I put on the band, I ran my hands through my curly hair. It was already growing long again, even though I cut it half a week ago. It was the one thing that I couldn't convince my Dad to accept, and he complained about it whenever it was brought up. I was torn on growing it long again to please him, but I absolutely hated the idea of having such an obvious weakness being present while I went out.

Whatever, I'd deal with it later, now was the time to train.

I wasn't going to do my usual workout today though, no, today was just going to be me and the cane-sword. While I was pretty skilled with using it as a bludgeoning tool, it always helped to cover all the bases. Retrieving the weapon from under the floorboards, I quickly unsheathed the thin blade from it's frame, sparing a second to marvel at the craftsmanship that created it.

I wondered if Lung missed it...

By 5:00 I had already finished my sword practicing and was just setting breakfast on the table when the door knocked.

Quickly washing my hands I made my way to the door and checked the peep hole. Standing out on the porch was Sierra, all dressed up in her nursing outfit, and practically hopping in place.

A smile graced my lips as I opened the door, and she quickly came in, shivering exaggeratedly. Masks were so much more easier when Sierra was around, "Sierra, why aren't you wearing a jacket or a coat? It's freezng in the mornings."

She seemed to growl, but that may have been her getting used to the warmth inside, "My s-stupid b-brother lost my coat! Or at least h-he said he lost it, but I noticed him showing off some cash to his 'f-friends', she spat out, "Probably sold it to make a quick buck and buy some c-cigarattes. He knows that Mom and Dad hated when he smoked and so do I!"

I gave a her sympathetic pat on the back, and led her towards the kitchen, all the while thinking of ways to 'handle' her brother. Sierra was far too crucial to my Dad's care for some idiot to muck up, and I didn't need the extra stress of having to find a new nurse. Besides, Dad liked having Sierra around, and she enjoyed it as well.

I might have considered her a friend, but I refused. Friends can betray you.

She was more like a sister.

"Thank you so much for coming so early in the morning though, and I'm really sorry for springing this on you.."

She waved her hand nonchalantly, "It was no problem Taylor, I was happy to help when you told me about the relief group you joined! Us girls have to have each others backs, am I right or am I right?"

A very gullible sister I added.

"Of course." I smiled which she returned with gusto.

"So, you have the manual for how this new Tinker thing operates?"

I nodded, "Yeah, it's by Dad's dresser. It's actually surprisingly simple, all you have to do is flip the switch up and down twice every half hour, and Dad's pain will be lowered a lot. Some kind of electro-therapy"

She gave out a low whistle, "Damn that's nice. Wish we had those up at the hospital when I was there. I mean we had Panacea, but the poor girl always looks like she's dead on her feet. I'm glad she decided on that vacation!"

I questioned the thought of visiting Africa to heal the sick and injured there counted as a 'vacation', but it didn't really matter to me what her preferences were, "Speaking of, do you know when she'll be back? I know she'd be busy anyways, but Dad would get priority right? Isn't that how it works when it comes to cape stuff?"

She shook her head sympathetically, "Sorry, she's supposed to be back at the end of the month, but I don't know how she handles priorities when it comes to Crusader stuff," she smiled again, "But trust me when I say, that I would personally go and recommend Danny, Taylor. Scouts Honor!"

I raised an eyebrow, "You were a scout?"

She sighed, "Well, no. But it's the thought that counts!"

I felt a genuine smile come forth and decided to let be free, along with a chuckle that she returned.

After a few minutes of small talk, I was already halfway out the door for my traditional run when her worried voice stopped me, "Taylor... over the phone you said you had... powers, right?"

My smile was gone, and 'Innocent Taylor' was here, "Yeah, nothing special, just some taser hands. Nothing too flashy."

She smiled, but she seemed unsure of what to say. Finally, she found the words, "Have... have you ever thought about becoming a hero?"

A hero? Impossible. Impractical really. The PRT claims that they want to integrate Capes into society, but the Wards were little more than glorified child soldiers, and the way they treated those who were deformed from their powers were sickening. A hero? Bah, nothing more than a game that they play with the local villains.

"Nah," I answered, "Fighting's really not my thing."

Sierra chuckled at that, and the tension was gone, "But I'd appreciate it if it was just between you, me, and Dad."

"Don't worry, it's safe with me," She smiled, "Scouts Honor!"

We laughed and then I was gone. I did plan on running like I did everyday, but this also served another purpose.

It was a great excuse to meet up with the Undersiders.


	17. Interlude 5

**Reaper: Interlude #5-Alpha Team**

_Somethings wrong._

The thought had appeared in Alpha Leader, Ray "Beam" Yelson's head spontaneously. He cocked his head to the side, looking over the interior of the moving van.

Sitting to either side of him on the built in benches were his team of five years. Sandy "The Sandstorm" Prebe, Ric "The Tic" Asherton, and Mark "The Spot" Welchman were on his right. To his left was Karin "The Wind" Jordan, and John. John didn't need a nickname.

Sandy, his XO, seemed utterly calm as the van bounced along the streets of Brockton Bay, and the rest of his team were the same. Some had their eyes closed, some were reading from their phones. All were alert.

"Weapons free people" he whispered, "Something's not right."

His team gave him a surprised glance, but soon complied, arming their Tinker-laser rifles, and applying their skin tight masks. A white coiled snake marked the front of every mask.

"You hear something boss?" whispered his XO, her eyes never leaving the package. Ray didn't answer, his eyes also glued to the package in the middle of his team, and Sandy knew better than to ask twice.

_The mission was simple, go to X, pick up Y, get back to Z._

You didn't send Alpha Team on simple missions. The entire time after picking up the package from the abandoned building, Ray had felt a sense of unease, but it seemed to climax when they were in Brockton Bay.

Why?

Some of his team joked that Ray had some Thinker powers, but Ray knew better. You didn't need super-powers when your instincts have been trained to notice even the smallest of dangers. Ray had been there when Behemoth had emerged from his underground domain, when The Rainmaker had torn apart half of New Orleans, he had even served among the PRT for a time.

In all those years, what had kept him alive had been his gut instincts, honed to a near sixth sense if he were to brag. He never bragged.

Something was wrong, and the package was a part of it.

Ray knocked on the wall separating him from the driver, and was rewarded with the eye slot opening, "ETA on Z?"

The driver didn't even look back, "20 m."

"Make it 10."

The driver said nothing, the closing of the slot being his only response. Ray took a small breath, his eyes on the package. A silver cooler, locked with a code that only a specified other could open, the upside down "C" seemed to mock him.

_Something's wro-_

The Van _lurched, _sending Ray and his men slamming into the roof of the vehicle, the package smacking Mark in the face. Someone let out a shot and a red bolt of energy pierced the side of the Van, a scream rising as the van fell.

_I taught them better than that._

Gravity took hold and now his team fell towards him, the combined weight of the geared up squad taking the wind out of his lungs. Ray stayed conscious just enough to see the metal case fly into him.

All was silent in the tilted vehicle, only occasional groan and moan of pain breaking the wall of silence. Red and Blue energy appeared from the back of the Van, piercing the armored doors and causing metallic sound to flow from the now very large holes.

A grunt and the damaged door flew open, a masked woman standing above the mess of mercenaries. With a snap of her fingers, an amphibian looking individual lept into the van, moving in supernatural grace as placed a hand on every Merc, unconscious or not.

With that down, it dug through the doped up men and women, before giving a laugh of triumph and pulled out it's prize.

The metallic cooler was still in pristine condition, minus the blood that covered parts of the handle. The amphibian lept out the totaled van and dropped the cooler in front of the masked woman. She seemed to inspect the container from head to toe before touching the lock itself. Once again red and blue energy cackled, and the lock dissolved into sand, a gaping hole where it once was.

Practically ripping the lid off it's hinges, the woman and amphibian stared at the coolers contents for a few spare seconds. With almost shaking hands, the woman took hold of it's contents: two metallic vials and a letter.

Handing a vial to the amphibian, the woman walked off into a neighboring alleyway, the amphibian following closely behind.

They pointedly ignored the white van halfway sunk into a man-made sink hole.

An hour later, Ray found his consciousness returning, though he wished the pain would stay gone as well. He was still in the sunken van, surrounded by his unconscious teammates and their weapons.

Forcing himself to move, Ray made the rounds and checked their pulses. All were fine with the exception of Marks, though judging from the way his neck twisted, that wasn't surprising.

Ray's own nose was broken, further checking showed possible cracked ribs and a definite broken collar bone. What really worried him however, was the lack of cooler among the bodies.

With a muffled curse, Ray reached into his phone and dialed the number for these specific events. He knew that his termination was only a matter of time, but it never hurt to show loyalty in the end. Villains had a wierd respect for that sort of thing.

"Alpha Team, report."

"Boss, it's Ray," he took a deep breath, "I think we might be in trouble..."


	18. Chapter 13

**Reaper: Chapter 3e**

The run was almost painfully short compared to my usual routine. By the time I had arrived at the Boardwalk, I had barely broken a sweat, and my breath was more controlled than if I was truly pushing myself. Unfortunately needs must when there was work to be done.

Ah, speaking of, my target was in my sights.

Sitting on one of the many rusted benches on the boardwalk, a very well built african american teen was feeding the sea-gulls pieces of bread.

Grue.

Out of all the Undersiders, Grue was the one that was most receptive to my joining, and even tried to start a rapport with me. Granted, I wouldn't mind having a sparring partner to better myself, but work came first before enjoyment. However that did leave him open to be the most open to conversing with, especially with my current mask.

All it took was a quick glimpse through his file on his habits, and it was easy to determine a plan of action. I'd coincidentally run into him on the boardwalk, then get him to open up to me with my mask, all the while trying to dig up any valuable information as I could, specifically about Tattletale.

Considering how much the two worked together as the brains and figurehead, they must have had some sort of close relationship.

My mask was already in place as I approached him from behind.

"Hey Brian!"

Grue jumped slightly which cause a few pieces of bread to go flying. The sea-gulls squawked in alarm as bread scattered amongst them, but otherwise stayed where they were.

Grue turned to me his hand over his heart dramatically, "Jesus girl! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

I giggled, "That was for last time! That'll teach you to scare young girls after a scary thing like yesterday."

Grue gave me a pout, "I said I was sorry. Besides I'm older, thus more fragile."

"You're not that old," rolling my eyes, "You'd barely pass 50!"

"Haha, you're a real comedian," he smiled and patted the spot next to him, which I graciously accepted. He handed me a handful of bread and began feeding the birds, me following soon after.

"So what brings you to our illustrious tourist trap?" he shooed off a bird that was getting too close for his liking, earning a squawk in protest.

I scattered crumbs in an half circle to better feed the birds, "Oh I was just on my morning run before heading of to school. Always a good idea to stay in shape when doing nightly activities."

He gave me an amused smirk, "Alec would say 'That's what she said!' if he was here."

"Who said?"

Grue's smirk faltered, "You know, 'That's what she said!' from The Office?"

I quirked an eyebrow, "No," I said slowly, "I don't know what 'She said' and from which office?"

His eyes widened in surprise before whistling, "Oh wow, uh," he found the sea-gulls very interesting for some reason, "You know what, let's just let that one go. Forget I said anything."

I studied him closely, but he was doing his best to study those birds, "...Fine. But one of these days you're gonna tell me what 'She said' about nightly activities."

He didn't say anything, but he did chuckle nervously.

We sat there for about 5 minutes, just listening to the ocean and the birds around us. I thought that this would be an amazing place to stargaze. Maybe when Dad got better we'd come down here and look. I wouldn't mind having Sierra come along as well, but she'd probably want to move along in life.

After all she had more important things than us to care about.

"-about the workout."

I blinked and realized I must have zoned out for a moment. Grue was looking at me, smiling, while I internally berated myself, "Sorry. Must have zoned out for a second. What were you saying?"

"I was saying that you're right about the training. You never know when it could save your life." He sighed, "Just wish Alec and Lisa would put some effort into it."

I blinked, "Wait, you mean you guys don't train together to better coordinate yourselves? What if you had to defend yourself and were without backup?"

Grue threw up his arms, "That's what I say! But Alec just doesn't care, and Lisa likes to think herself invincible behind her p- er, smarts. Rachel's got some skill with it, but apparently not enough against someone as good as you."

I ignored the praise, still rather dumbfounded about the lack of cohesiveness. How could they be so careless? I was surprised that they got by this long without an incident!

"It's one of the reasons I'm glad you're on the team Taylor," he continued, "I'm glad we finally have someone on the team with perspective. And I've been itching to have a legit sparring partner now. I feel like it's been too long."

I knew what he was referring to, but it never hurt to have him open up more, "Oh? What did you do before all this?"

"Me?" I nodded, "Well, my Dad and I... well my Dad wasn't abusive per se, but he was a boxer born and raised, and we never really understood each other. At all. You know what I'm saying?"

I didn't but I nodded anyways. I guess not all relationships were as healthy as Dad and I's.

"Well, anyways," he tossed another piece of bread to the bird hoard, "The only way he and I could connect would be through boxing. And let me tell you that he didn't pull punches. He hit hard, and he expected you to hit just as much, or get the hell out. He'd never give you praise, because he expected you to move on after, which didn't help our relationship at all."

He paused for a moment, and I was sure that he was done. Reading about it in the reports were one thing, but actually hearing it from the person effected was... horrendus? Painful? One of those words. I couldn't even imagine Dad not complimenting me in some way. How strange.

Grue surprised me though, when he started again, "And when it came time for him to back me up, he just stayed on the sidelines." He had an edge of anger in his voice, "He didn't give a damn about his daughter, or how fucked up his wife was treating her. So I had to step up."

His face cleared and he blinked, looking as if he just now remembered who he was talking to, "Oh, Taylor, I'm sorry for laying this one you. I just remembered you had school and stuff and shit, you probably don't want to hear all of this.."

I layed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a sympathetic look. Something told me that if he didn't say this now, I'd never get the chance to hear it again, "Say what you want to say. School's not a big deal anyways, and you're my leader."

I really did not like referring to anyone as my "leader" but it seemed to do the job as he gave me a grateful smile.

"Thanks Taylor," he took a deep breath, "Let me start with my sister..."

As he talked, letting out his thoughts and feelings, I felt his body closer to mine than when I had sat down earlier.

The bench must have been smaller than I thought, were practically shoulder to shoulder.

I waved the thought away, it was chilly out and I enjoyed the extra warmth.

_I wonder if it would always be this peaceful._


	19. Chapter 14

**Reaper: Chapter 3f**

THUNK

"Too slow, I noticed your shoulder twist a mile away. Again."

THUMP

"Good punch but your legs are weak. Untrained. Again."

THUD THUD

"Are you okay Brian? Do you need a break?"

Grue looked up at me, his breathing quick, holding his arms to his rib-cage. He had tried to perform some sort of choke hold on me, wrists locking themselves at the nape of my neck, attempting to inhibit my sight and movement. Unfortunately for Grue he was not used to using grappling techniques and how to defend himself while doing so, thus leaving his ribs open to attack.

I was pretty sure he wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Grue took the hand that I offered him, and I assisted in hauling our 'Leader' to his feet. He gave me a shaky smile, rubbing his probably bruised sides with care, "How about one more round? It's been awhile since I've exerted myself this much."

I frowned but nodded my consent, already placing my body into a basic stance. Grue followed soon after, though he took his more familiar boxing stance, causing my frown to lengthen.

When will he learn?

"Go." I said, and Grue took off like a shot.

Arm and shoulder pulled back, leading with his left. Most likely a jab with either cross or hook following up. Move in.

I felt the sweat on my face fly off as I lept forward, invading Grue's space of attack. His eyes widened in surprise, but I paid him no mind, focused entirely on getting left leg between his.

Too close for him to strike without severely weakening his punch. Short window of opportunity to attack now that his guard has been breached.

The window did not go unused.

A left uppercut to the chin, throwing off his sense of coordination and balance. Grab his left arm, duck under the blind swing from the right, twisting and positioning the left arm and myself behind him. Kick-in the backs of his knees, already weakened from previous spars, offer him no footing. Block shaky elbow from the right, twist left arm up into his back, and finish with 'soft' elbow strike to the shoulder.

THUD

"Aaaaaaa." Grue moaned in pain and exhaustion, eyes closed and arm still across his back. Even when I let go of his arm he didn't try to get up, instead taking deep breathes or air while lying on our makeshift sparring mat. Seeing that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, I shrugged and headed over to where our water bottles and towels were.

The water was energizing as I wiped myself with the towel. I was glad that I had the foresight to bring my workout shorts and tee, as it would have been uncomfortable to spar with my gear or normal clothing. Grue had immediately suggested sparring as soon as we arrived at the base, our talk from the boardwalk nearly forgotten. Unsurprisingly, Tattletale and Regent were already there, Regent watching some movie about a brooding man dress as a black bat and Tattletale had to take a call from our 'mysterious' boss.

I couldn't be sure, but I thought I saw Tattletales eyes squint when she saw Grue and I enter together. Unsurprisingly again, both turned down the offer to spar with us, though Tattletale's was out in full force when looking at Grue, and I didn't miss the smirk she gave me before heading towards her room.

There was definitely something going on between them. Something to look out for.

I noticed the lack of pained panting, and looked down towards Grue. His breathing had slowed down to their normal rate, but his eyes were open and on me, a far away look on his face.

Slightly worried, I snapped my fingers, hoping for a reaction. Grue's faraway look was immediately replaced with one of surprise before he quickly got to his face, coughing to the side and hiding his face from mine.

What was that about?

The two of us just stood there for a few seconds before he finally faced my direction, "So, uh," he coughed shyly, "How did I do?"

I raised an eyebrow but answered anyways, "You did reasonably well against a more skilled opponent. That being said, your boxing techniques and training really held you back."

His eyes widened, "What?"

"You were trained using the official way to box like those of professionals, correct?" He nodded unsurely. "Well while the training is very useful against an opponent of equal skill, it does little to help when fighting others with a more diverse fighting style, as professional boxing is very limited in how to defends ones legs and from holds. You've also been taught to not use certain punches which can be a pain in the ass when it comes to muscle memory. You've got the strength and speed to ruin someones day and your a great boxer, but if it came to someone who matched you in every physical aspect, and was an experienced street fighter, well..."

I shrugged and Grue let out a sigh, looking at the floor in dejection. I pat him on the back in sympathy, earning a small smile from our 'leader'.

It was about that time that Tattletale came into the room, a smile on her face. Said smile then disappeared as she froze in place eyes on me. Or over me I should say, as she continued to look me up and down, a perfect poker face in set in. Barely a second later she was back to all smiles and in our faces.

I blinked in surprise, but she was already talking, "You guys done sparring yet?"

Grue groaned, "It was more like a beat-down than a spar, but yeah we're good."

I nodded in agreement, but I never took my eyes of Tattletale. She had seriously set off my radar with that note, and I didn't want to give or lose anything that could give myself away to her.

Fucking Thinkers.

"Good, because I just got word from the boss about a new job and I think this could be a game changer!"

Grue opened his mouth, but Tattletale cut in, "Bitch got here while you two were sparring, and yes she's fine save for some bruises."

"Huh. Well I'm ready to go if you guys are."

"I will be," I said, "Just let me clean up a bit before we get started. It'll only take a minute."

Grue and Tattletale both nodded, and I turned to get my bag. Going through my stuff slower than necessary, I quickly checked the cell Coil had loaned me.

:Go with it:

Fuck you Coil.

Suddenly, I got the overwhelming feeling of being watched and turned back towards the pair. Grue was scrolling through his phone and Tattletale was playing with her hair, completely focused on twisting and untwisting one of her locks. I gave each of them wary glances as I passed by, exiting the improvised sparring room.

I was still confused when I passed through the main room, Regent still watching the Bat movie and bitch tending to her dogs beside him. Upon my entering Bitch found the floor to be surprisingly interesting, while Regent just gave a low whistle.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing, carry on with your day. Don't mind me." He gave me possibly the most shit eating grin I've ever seen, "Just don't Hulk out on us and we'll be fine."

"I don't even, what?" Seriously, this was starting to get ridiculous.

"Tell me," he smirked, "is part of your workout routine eating bodybuilder magazines? No? Wait, wait, let me guess, you blend a healthy mix of steroids and P-90Z DVD's don't you?"

"Regent... can you honestly do 20 pushups in a row?"

"Of cour-"

"Without," I interrupted, "using your knees?"

"I plead the fifth."

"I thought so." I stalked towards the bathroom, fighting back the heat that was rushing to my face. I wassogetting a new workout outfit.

"So," Brian began, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously.

"Yeah, that was the result of at least 3 months of military grade workouts. Give or take a month."

Lisa laughed at the shocked expression on Brian's face, ignoring the fact that she was just as shocked and impressed as he had been a few minutes ago.

"Jesus," Brian whispered, "I mean she looked cut, but I didn't think she would go that far."

"Wow," Lisa's grin was in full force, "She really got your attention huh."

Brian rattled off a few jumbled words and swears before a grin of his own came forth, "Says you! You stopped in your tracks for a full 30 seconds when you saw her!"

Lisa rolled her eyes and smirked, "Oh stop deflecting Brian. I can read you like a pop up book narrated by Morgan Freeman, you've been caught hook, line, and sinker."

Brian blushed in embarrassment, a snappy comeback on the tip of his tongue before Alec's voice cut in.

"Hey Brian! I think Taylor stole your six pack!"

Even in the roar of the shower, Taylor could still hear the waves of laughter echoing throughout the building.

"No."

"Brian, if you'd just liste-"

"No."

"Look just-"

"I said no Lisa!" Grue shouted, "We are not going to rob the city's largest bank, in the middle of the goddamn day! We're escape artists, and damn good ones, but this is just asking for a confrontation!"

"Like I've trying to tell you, I've done the math! With Lung and his lackey's kicking up a storm with the E88, plus the Wards being limited to how many they can take out on a school day, we'd have very few risks at all!"

"But how much would those risks cost us?! I know it's damn well more than what we could gain!"

And on and on it went. Tattletale was adamant that the job Coil gave us would be our ticket to the top, right up there with the big shots. The pay promised to be huge, more than ever previous heist according to Tattletale, but like Brian said, the risks were way too steep.

Too bad my personal opinion amounted to nothing.

I wondered if Coil was just using this 'heist' as an excuse to get rid of me, but he had no reason to off the Undersiders, not with the lackluster evidence I had shown him. I also doubted it was just for the prestige since he seemed to care little about the Undersider's except for me and Tattletale. Something else was at play here, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what.

"-think?"

Grues questioning tone broke me out of my thoughts, "I'm sorry can you repeat that?"

His face was grim, "I asked you what you think. You're a member of the team now and so far we're split down the middle. Lisa and Alec think we have the muscle to pull it off and that the pay is worth it. Rachel and I are unsure. It's your choice."

My choice? Fuck. I was hoping more would side with Grue on going against the mission. Grue looked concerned, and Bitch wouldn't meet my eyes, but it was obvious she was listening intently. Regent still kept his annoyingly relaxed look though he had a hint of interest in his eyes. Tattletale was a blank, her face perfectly neutral, but I got the feeling her mind was going overtime one me.

The first mission I'm apart of and it could be the one that I'm captured by the law. Joy.

_Fuck you Coil! Fuck you Tattletale! Fuck this heist bullshit and fuck the Crusaders!_

"I say we go on with the plan."

Grue and Bitch's eyes widened in shock, while Regent yawned and Tattletale was grinning like it was going out of style.

"If," I stressed, "if we go over the plan step by step-"

"Of course." Tattletale chimed.

"-and you all go through a sparring course daily. My sparring course. You will listen to me without question, but since we only have a day to prepare we'll skip today's, but I expect you all to give it your 100% after. Are we clear?"

Everyone stayed quiet as I let the word sink in. Minutes passed before Tattletale spoke up, "That..," she sighed and rubbed her temples, "that's fair enough. You have a deal."

Regent looked like he was about to break down and cry, Bitch played with her bandages while keeping her dogs closer than ever, Grue was absently rubbing the bruises from our last spar, and Tattletale kept rubbing her temples and mumbling to herself.

When life gives you lemons...


	20. Chapter 15

**Reaper: Chapter 4-The End of the Beginning**

It was the day of the 'Heist' and it was quiet. Too quiet.

The only sound at all was the rumbling of the tinted van, and the groans from Bitches dogs as she empowered them. I had seen them before, during my fight with Lung, but seeing the growth in action was something else. Bones- or was it Chitin? -and muscle were growing from seemingly nothing, encapsulating the canines in a sea of tissue, increasing their size exponentially.

Luckily Bitch could control the size of her 'Hell-Hounds', otherwise the back of the van would dip and scrape across the street.

It was only Grue, Bitch, and I in this van, while Tattletale and Regent arrived at the Bank earlier to scout for trouble. They would be uncostumed to avoid suspicion and to better scope the area, though I felt it was more likely that they just didn't want to ride with Bitch.

I'm surprised she hasn't started anything yet. Coil's report claimed her to be heavily confrontational.

Perhaps our last conflict was still in the forefront of her mind? Possibly, but it didn't matter at the moment. All that mattered was that we minimize any problems that we may come across.

I checked my watch: 12:25 p.m. Five minutes for any last minute preparing, but I was already set. I had my usual Cloak and Mask, armored gloves and boots secure on my limbs, and my cane-sword connected with my metal wire. For back up materials I also had my looted pistol and magazines, collapsible baton in case my sword wasn't salvageable, and a can of pepper spray curticy of my Dad after I told him I was going out on a longer 'run' than usual. He still didn't know that I had skipped school twice now, but I could skip for a whole week without him noticing due to the schools rather lack-luster track record.

Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

Five minutes passed by quickly and as soon as we parked in the alley a behind the bank, Tattletale and Regent were already entering the van, costumes hidden underneath their civilian clothes. Grue was getting dressed in the front seat, identity protected behind the tinted windows of the van, and Bitch was strapping ropes and bags across one of her dogs. I took the moment to quickly look over my teammates and frowned at what I saw.

They were horrendously under-prepared, armour wise, for this job. Not a single one of them had any sort of protective vest or padded clothing. Hell, Regent left his entire chest uncovered and Bitch's wardrobe consisted of the clothes she wore every other day and a plastic dog mask. Tattletale wore a skin-tight body suit that left little to the imagination, and I could not fathom moving comfortably in it without squeaking. I had to give her credit though, when she put on the mask and let down her hair, her body language was so different that I might have thought I had been looking at someone else.

Her vulpine smile dashed any illusion it held over me though and I felt a faint simmer of anger at how confident, how entitled, she appeared. Like she didn't nearly ruin my civilian life.

I extinguished the feeling as Grue appeared by the Van's entrance, "We all set here?" he asked.

We all nodded our assent and he nodded back. I myself had memorized everyone's part that had to be played. Tattletale would be the one that would unlock the doors and open the vaults, all the while adapting to whatever game plan the Wards would throw at us. Grue would blanket out the bank with his darkness, giving us the advantage of sight, while Regent served to threaten any hostage that felt they had to play hero. Bitch and I would be the 'muscle', her dogs being the front-line fighters while I stayed back and made sure no one got us from behind. When the vault would open, we'd stuff as much money as we could in the bags provided then get the hell out of dodge.

All in all, we were to get in and out within 10 minutes.

I had the feeling it wouldn't go nearly that well.

Grue nodded back to us, "Alright, let's go rob a bank."

Tattletale cracked the back entrance's security code with frightening ease, and within seconds we were noticed. A guard unlucky enough to be drinking coffee by the door was my first victim, going down easy with a quick thwack to the head from my cane. I checked for any signs of consciousness and weapons as Grue blinded a second guard and Regent tased him into submission.

Zip-locking both guards limbs and relieving them of their weapons, Tattletale made her way to the security office, bag covered dog in tow, while the rest of us entered the lounge area. Immediately the walls and windows were covered by complete darkness eliciting screams and shrieks from the bystanders.

It was honestly kind of annoying to hear, and I was somewhat thankful when the barking of Bitch's hounds silenced everyone in the lounge.

Taking that as his cue, Grue began his speech, "Alright everyone, this is a holdup! We're just here for the money, none of you have to get hurt! If any of you feel the need to be a hero," darkness bellowed around him, enhancing his voice even more, "Don't."

His enhanced voice, plus the demonic dogs, plus Regent, Bitch, and I's masked presence easily got the point across. Their faces were filled with simmering anger, but fear overrode any idea of revolt. With a nod that we returned, Regent and I began making the rounds, each taking an opposite side. Bitch was content to stay back with her hounds while Grue paced back and forth across the windows.

It wasn't even five minutes before Grue cursed, "Regent get Tattletale over hear, now."

"Got it boss."

As Regent hurriedly left the lounge, I walked over to Grue till we were close enough that I doubted anyone could over hear us, "Problem?"

He nodded and opened up a small patch of darkness in front of me. I hesitantly looked through the opening, wary of what I might see, and had to hold myself back from calling Coil and Tattletale every vulgar name in the book.

Standing outside the bank were the Wards, lined up across the street, waiting for us to make our move. Aegis, Clockblocker, Gallant, Vista, Kid Win, and some other hero that I couldn't name, though he looked familiar. Shadow Stalker was nowhere to be seen, but it didn't matter. Six, six Wards were standing out there, ready to come in and lock our asses in jail. Tattletale said we'd get three at most.

She and I were going to have a talk.

Aegis saw our little opening and waved at us, before Grue closed it and turned to me, darkness rolling off his body. Correction, we were going to have a talk with Tattletale.

"I'm going to go see what's keeping them." I turned before he could say anything, familiar sense of anger simmering in the back of my mind. I had had it up to here with her shit, and I felt that Grue was just as, if not more, pissed as I wa-

Wait.

I stopped and backed up, turning towards the hostages on my right side, head tilted in confusion. They all looked like your average citizen, men and women going about there day, only to end up in a situation few could see themselves in. Except one of them was different. I don't know if it was her eyes, her posture, or her face, but something about the tan skinned girl in front of me seemed vaguely familiar. Her eyes widened when she that she had my attention, but it was less fear and more surprise and annoyance.

I'm missing something, I thought, something very important.

I barely heard the sound of Regent and Tattletale passing behind me, Tattletale saying that the vaults were open or something like that. What was I not seeing? Grue growled something out and Regent left, presumably to the vault. The girl below me matched my gaze, even as the others around her slowly inched away. Tattletale and Grue were going back and forth now, probably about the Wards, but it still didn't get my focus. Something was up with this girl, but I just could not place-

My phone vibrated. Not the one that Coil gave me, nor the one that I received from the Undersiders. This was the phone I got for me and Sierra, so that she could call me in emergencies for my Dad. I contemplated reading the text in the middle of a hostage situation, but the thought of ignoring any emergency that my Dad was in made me sick to my stomach.

Keeping a eye on the teen in front of me, I quickly flipped open my phone to skim the text, other hand firmly gripping the cane in case of emergency.

:Hey T, amazing newz! Pancea got back early! I herd from my boss that shez in BB right now! Call me when u get this!:

Pancea?

Suddenly it clicked, Panacea was here! Finally, something good for a change!

A smile was hidden behind my mask as I turned back to the teen only for dawning horror to set in. The hair, the posture, her face, the lack of fear...

Oh shit.

"Oh shit."

Panacea blinked at the sudden Non-sequitur, her confusion and annoyance obvious, "Wait, you're a girl?"

I paid her no mind as I turned my back on her and rushed to Grue and Tattletale, who were still arguing by the window. This was not good, this was not good, not good at all! Of all the ways the world could possibly screw me over, that it could make my life any more miserable than it already was, it does this. Never say that karma doesn't shoot for the the fucking fence when it plays hardball.

"Guys! We have a serious pro-"

I saw it then. A living shadow erupted from the concrete not twenty feet beyond the opening in Grue's darkness, a humanoid form emerging from apparently nothing. Even as I took this all in, I was already in overdrive, my body now in a full sprint, and time seemed to slow down for me. The Shadow lifted one of it's intangible limbs and it fired something from what appeared to be it's wrist. The object speed forward crossing the distance between the Shadow and the window in mere seconds. Any protection that the window offered was insubstantial as the object phased through the glass, unimpeded by physics. As soon as the object cleared the window, it solidified into a strange fusion of bolt and syringe, it's target the neck of a blonde Thinker.

Grue poured darkness on the offending clear zone, and Tattletale gasped.

I held the bolt/syringe in my right hand, inches from the Thinker's neck. With a tug I crushed the bolt in my hand and threw the remains to the side, hand shaking from the close call while Grue and Tattletale looked on in shock.

"One," I said my voice shaking slightly, "I'm not doing that again. Two, we need to _talk_."


	21. Chapter 16

**Reaper: Chapter 4b**

"So this is the famous Amy Dallon huh?"

Tattletale gestured to the prone form of Panacea, who was doing her best to set fire to the Thinker from just her glare. After saving Tattletale from what may or may not have been a lethal bolt to the neck, I immediately informed Grue and Tattletale of my discovery. To say they were shocked would have been an understatement.

_I don't know how Sierra, but I so owe you one._

"You've got a good eye Reaper, her tan completely threw me off there." She smirked at Panacea, "I wonder what our little white mage was planning?"

Panacea continued to glare up at the smirking face before her, her only response was her short struggle with her now zip-cuffed hands. Tattletales smirk was nearly in it's vulpine phase as she reached down and retrieved a cell-phone from our prisoner's pocket.

_ Panacea is our prisoner. The one person who's help I need, and we're holding her hostage. Well done Taylor, well done._

Grue was back at the blackened windows, his shadows flowing as he paced back and forth, and I could faintly hear the echoes of what sounded like mumbled curses. His attitude was bad when the Wards had arrived, but he was almost a nervous wreck now that Shadow Stalker had shown up. He had told me that Shadow Stalker had it out for him, and even tried lethal force on him once, but I had no idea it was bothering him this much. He looked like a cornered panther, it's hunter only a few feet away. Panacea's presence certainly didn't help at all, I got the feeling that he was close to panicking.

A grunt from Tattletale broke me from my thoughts, her smirk replaced by an uncommon frown as she stared at the cell-phones contents.

"What's wrong?" I asked, but I felt I already knew the answer.

Tattletale sighed, "Well Ms. Dallon here just confirmed my suspicions: the one on the roof is Glory Girl."

Fuck.

"We should let Panacea go then," _please_, "We show that we have no quarrel with-"

Tattletale shook her head, and the frown on her face seemed to grow even more, "We've come across Glory Hole before, she's hot headed and doesn't think more than a step ahead. Less even. The moment we let Panacea go, we get a short reprieve, maybe ten minutes as Glory Hole takes her sis somewhere safe, then she flies back here and rains unholy pain down on us." She gestured to the cell, "Dallon's texts to her prove it."

Panacea had perked up at my suggestion of letting her go, but upon hearing Tattletales rather insulting explanation, merely scowled and continued her act of glaring. I felt annoyance, and a hint of worry as I realized the precarious position we were placed in; We were woefully under-equipped, far out-numbered, and only Bitch and I were capable of any type of offense.

_Is this how it ends for me? Trapped in a godforsaken Bank, surrounded by heroes with only super-villains as my company?_

No. There was no way in hell that I was going to be caught. All of my plans would be ruined, but worst of all, I didn't think that Dad could handle it. For as long as I could remember he needed some kind of support, something to help him go on day by day, whether it was Mom or me, it didn't matter. I doubted Sierra would stick around after I got caught either, after all, who'd risk their credentials to help a super-villain family?

"What are our options?"

Tattletale seemed surprised, but recovered quickly, "Well there is surrendering-"

"NO."

"-which is a bad idea of course," She began to pace back and forth, coincidentally matching Grues pace, "Hmm. Bitches dogs are good distraction, but there's no way in hell that Bitch would abandon them. Based on how they are formed up, they're probably expecting us to retreat the way we came. Attack head on? No, suicidal, way too many of them."

"Can Grue black out the entire street? We could sneak away as their trying to get reorganized."

She shook her head, "Double-edged sword. Grue could lead us through, but the chance of being caught in the crossfire is too big a risk. We might not even get any distance with Vista out there. And if any of us gets touched by Clockblocker, we'd be toast."

I nearly growled in frustration. We were running out time, before the big guns showed up, and by then we might as well have surrendered.

"We could always have Reaper flash them," piped in Regent, smirk evident in his voice, "She doesn't have any tits, but I'm sure her six pack could surprise most of them."

I was only slightly surprised when Tattletale and Grue followed my example and gave him the bird. Panacea looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or cry, which didn't help my mood at all.

Regent would be the first to spar with me, I decided.

"What the fuck do you think you're fucking doing?!"

Everyone turned towards the source of the outburst. Bitch was bearing down on a rather old japanese woman, who was in turn babbling something in her native language. I gave Grue and Tattletale a nod as I moved to go handle whatever Bitch had done. I had theorized that something had screwed with her brain considering her past actions, and I didn't want a hurt hostage on top of all the other crap we had to deal with.

The woman seemed to be cradling something, trying to keep it out sight from Bitch. If anything this pissed Bitch off even more, and it looked like she was about to attack the woman before I arrived.

"What's wrong?" I said, my voice firm.

Bitch turned to me, a snarl on her face but her eyes downcast, never leaving the near-hysterical woman, "I saw her slinking off to the back. I didn't like it, and then I saw the phone in her hand. Now she keeps screaming gibberish."

I paused, surprised at how willing she was before answering, "Good job." With that I made my way to the woman, who was staring at me like I was the devil himself. A quick look over showed that she was still cradling the phone in both hands like a lifeline.

I stopped a few feet before the woman and kneeled down till we were at the same height. My mask was only a foot away from her face, and I could see the tears in her eyes as continued to mumble something.

"Gomen'nasai, gomen'nasai. Kami wa watashi o tasuke, kanojo wa watashinokazoku o motte imasu!" she was shaking now, almost like a cartoon character when they were scared. I idly wondered if her teeth would chatter as well before I got to business.

"Ma'am I have to know who you were texting," I held out my hand, "Please give me your phone ma'am."

Her eyes widened and the tears and mucus increased as she began yell hysterically, "Anata! Sore wa anata no seidesu! Sore no subete!" She thrusted out her hand, and her face twisted in anger, "Kanojo wa, anata ga doragon o kizutsukerunode, gōsuto o sagasu tame ni watashitachi ni katatta! Ima, kanojo wa watashinokazoku o motte imasu! Imaimashī, imaimashī anata ni - "

The woman stopped suddenly, her face frozen in a state of anger and fear, and I could hear a pin drop. A line of blood began to leak from both nostrils, more of it pooling in her eyes. I took several steps back as the hostages around her began to scream in horror. Bitch seemed to be barking something out, but I didn't hear anything. My entire body was in shock, and I couldn't tear my eyes from the bleeding woman. I heard someone scream, I think it was Tattletale, but then the woman began to swell.

It most likely took a few seconds, but I saw all of it like it was in slow-motion. The woman's skin began to stretch and stretch, blood and some sort of orange liquids splurting out from her eyes, ears, nose and mouth. It was when the skin began to break that I acted, turning around and throwing myself on Bitch, who had decided to stick behind me. The gore filled explosion sounded like a clap mixed with popped water-balloon, some kind of fluid flew through the air, blanketing nearby hostages and my back.

This was my mom's favorite cloak.

An illogical thought as I rolled off of Bitch and surveyed the seen. The walls were caked in fluids, pieces of white material embedded into the plaster and a few unlucky civilians. One man was covering his face and screaming, though whether or not it was due to the fluids or what I assumed to be pieces of bone, I didn't know.

Panancea and Tattletale were having some sort of shouting match, Regent was trying to get everyone under control, Bitch was calling her dogs, and Grue... was running towards us?

He grabbed the closest person to him, which happened to be Tattletale and Panacea, and dove behind one of Bitches dogs. Regent followed suit, but it was clear he had no idea what was going on either. I took hold of Bitches hand and pulled her behind another of her dogs- Angelica I think -and ignored her cries of protest.

"Everybody stay down!" Grue shouted and a burst of darkness radiated from him, covering the entirety of the lobby and muffling the startled cries and screams. A moment before the darkness took me over, a literal shock-wave crashed through the lobby entrance, a wave of distorted energy slamming into any hostage or object that wasn't hunkered down and sending them airborne.

The wave was almost upon Bitch and I's position before the billowing darkness engulfed us and slammed into the wave. Muffled but not stopped, the wave slammed into Angelica like a train, ramming her into us and through what I assumed to be air.

For a fleeting moment, it felt like I was tumbling through the ocean.

Then the moment ended as I landed and rolled on a hard surface and all was dark.


	22. Interlude 6

**Reaper: Interlude #6-Hebert Home**

_~Down, down, do your dance, do your dance~_

"~Down, down, do your dance, do your dance.~"

"Sierra?"

_~They say I'm a rapper and I say no~_

"~They say what you doing, tryna do some Zydeco?~"

"Sierra."

_~I just let the music come from my soul~_

"~So all of my people can stay on the floor!~"

"Sierra!"

"EEEK!" Sierra jumped in surprise, ear-buds jerked out from their spots as she swung her hands in shock. Danny Hebert sat there staring at the panting girl in amusement, a sidelong grin in place.

"I'm sorry Danny!" the nurse quickly apologized, "I was listening to music and I didn't hear you and oh god what if it had been an emergency you could have been in trouble oh jeez taylor would have a _fit _and-"

"Sierra," Danny interrupted, smirk in full force, "I just wanted to say that you were dancing and singing out loud again and I couldn't hear the t.v. There's no emergency."

Sierra blinked owlishly before straighting out her shirt and regaining what was left of her dignity, trying and failing to ignore the blush forming, "Oh, I'm sorry about that. It was a really good song and I just kind of... got into it."

Danny merely shook his head and chuckled, "Maybe I should get a nurse that _won't _break out into song and dance whenever she's in a good mood."

Said nurse looked utterly aghast at the thought which only caused Danny's chuckles to grow into full on laughter. Sierra tried to give the wheel-chaired man a glare, but couldn't quite keep the smile off her face, "How rude! _I _was the one who brought you the good news! We should be out celebrating at Fugly Bob's or at least order some take out!"

An eyebrow rose, "I think we should wait till _after _I, somehow, get an appointment with Panacea?"

Sierra merely waved her hand and blew out a rasberry, "We might as well do it now then, cause let me tell_something _Danny Hebert," she leaned over and winked, "I got major connections."

"Really," Danny deadpanned, "because I don't think flirting with the custodian counts as 'connections'."

"Tristain, I'll have you know, is an art _major _and a really sweet guy that helps me out with my brother sometimes." Sierra paused before blushing again, "And I was not _flirting!_"

"Sure you weren't."

"I'm being completely serious here!"

"I believe you."

The smile on his face said otherwise.

Sierra's face couldn't have gotten any redder if it was painted, but a sly smirk made it's appearance, "Fine then. Next visit, I'm going to assign one of _those _nurses to taking care of you."

Danny Hebert's smile slowly melted away and form a look dawning horror, "You wouldn't!"

The brunette merely nodded, smirk fully formed, "What do I hear every check up? 'Oh that Danny Hebert is such a sweet man taking care of his daughter, I wouldn't mind checking his pulse', or my favorite, 'I hear those Dock boys got some strong _hands'."_

The Herbet's eyes narrowed, matching Sierra's own. The two were soon locked in a staring contest, until Sierra began to giggle madly. Danny tried to keep his face neutral, but he finally cracked when it looked like Sierra could stand up, and the contagious giggles took him over too.

10 minutes came and went as the two giggled like maniacs, eventually regaining their breaths, their faces red from laughter.

"Haa... so what were you watching anyways?"

Danny wiped tears from his eyes before staring at the remote, "Meh, just some sports stuff. Here let me get the news..."

*CLICK*

_:-you can see, total chaos has erupted here in Downtown Brockton Bay, as a small army of ABB gang members attacked Bay Central Bank. Eye witness reports are coming in and claiming that the army is led by none other than 'Mad Bomber' Bakuda herself not 10 minutes ago. Bakuda, as you know, was the relatively new cape among Lung's ABB and is responsible for many of the most destructive acts of gang violence.:_

"Oh my god." Sierra's eyes went wide as the channel showed pictures of large craters, spires of ice, and what looked like an exploding tornado. Thankfully any gory aspects were censored, but it was cold comfort when seeing the pure destruction.

Danny's fingers gripped his arm-rests with frightening strength, knuckles turning white from strain, and vague memories of his incident played across the forefront of his mind. He idly noticed his pained breathing and willed himself to focus, just like all those times in the ER.

_You're not there Danny, _he thought, _Calm down. You're safe, you're at home with people who care about you and you're safe. Take a deep breath and relax, because your. Are. Safe._

_But is Taylor safe?_

Danny froze.

_:While the main cause of the attack is unknown at the moment, it is theorized that the appearance of the Wards at the bank may have been a factor in the villainess decision. Unfortunately the street is heavily backed up by fleeing civilians and PRT officers, many of whom are covered in injuries.:_

Danny tuned out the rest of the newscast, trying to keep himself from panicking, "Sierra," he swallowed what felt like a rock, "Can you get me the house phone and dial Taylor's school please?"

Sierra was white as a sheet, and her eyes were wide an unfocused, "W-what?"

"I SAI- ahem -can you _please _get me the home phone? I'd like to check on Taylor's school."

She was still frighteningly pale, but she gave him a firm nod and grabbed the device from the counter-top. By the time she got back, Danny could already here the dial tone from the school.

"Hello, this is Winslow High School, how may I help you?" The voice was almost a parody of the uncaring secretary.

_How about we get past the bullshit and get me my daughter that you've failed to protect?_

"Hi, this is Danny Hebert, Taylor Hebert's father. I'd like to just check and make sure she was okay?"

"Just a moment please."

Danny could hear the tip-tap of the keyboard in the background and a few russelling papers. Aches and pains that the Tinker tech box had almost magiced away suddenly made their appearance known. His bandages chafed, his skin was irritated beyond belief, and it suddenly felt like the temperature had risen a few dozen degrees.

He nearly screamed when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Sierra had a smile on her face, trying to be comforting, but he could see the worry etched in her expression.

_I wish Taylor had a sister like you._

"Oh yes Taylor Hebert. Our roll-call places her in her 6th period class right now. Would you like to call her?"

_She's safe. Thank God._

"No, no thank you. Just wanted to check up on her. Goodbye."

A click and Danny suddenly felt the weight of the world off his shoulders. He turned towards Sierra and judging from her relaxed look, it was obvious she had over-heard what the secretary had said, "Sierra, can you please roll me to the bedroom. I'm turning in early today if you don't mind."

"No problem Danny," she paused, a thoughtful frown on her face, "I'll keep this from Taylor if you want?"

Once again, Danny thanked whatever God had decided to gift him with Sierra, "Yes. I'd appreciate that very much."

He noticed that she didn't smile nor did she frown, but it was obvious to him that she didn't agree with his decision. None-the-less, he appreciated her confidentiality.

_It doesn't matter. Taylor's safe._


	23. Chapter 17

**Reaper: Chapter 4c**

I awoke to the sound of someone screaming, causing the ringing in my ears to increase in intensity.

Pain. So much pain, everywhere.

I tried to bring myself up to a sitting position, but that only made the ringing and pain worse. Dropping back down to the floor with a gasp, I had to shut my eyes as my vision began to waver, the tiled ceiling seemed to blur and melt like a water-painting.

After a few seconds of darkness, I hazarded a peek and was relieved and surprised to find my vision to be relatively normal again. In fact, the pain in my body was slowly disappearing, and I couldn't even hear the ringing in my head anymore.

Bringing myself into a sitting position, I was startled by a groan to the left of me. A quick look showed an unconscious Bitch being treated by Panacea, who was pointedly ignoring the dogs that surrounded them, low growls emanating from their jaws.

Well that can't be good.

It was a struggle to get to my feet, but I managed it, popping out the kinks in my legs as I made my way towards Panacea. The dogs seemed to recognize me and backed away from the scene, and Panacea greeted my with a grateful expression.

She... she did not look well.

The tanned hero had a long gash to the side of her head, probably from being lifted by the explosion, bruises were already showing from where she had landed harshly, her hands wouldn't stop shaking even as she gripped Bitch's own, and her clothes were tussled and torn in some places.

I tilted my head in confusion, "Why don't you heal yourself first?"

She gave me a quick glance before turning her attention back to Bitch, "Can't. Manton affect stops me from doing so. If I could I would have, and left you all here while I healed the hostages." She sighed, "Unfortunately, according to your leader, I'm going to need you guys if we're to help the Wards."

I blinked in surprise. Wards? What about the Wards?

I was going to ask her further questions but Bitch had just started to wake up, and Panacea was already limping to an injured hostage, his arms bent in angles that were not meant to be. I ignored Bitch and took Panacea by her arm, much to her surprise, and half carried/dragged her to the wailing man. Setting the healer down gently, she gave me a suspicious look but nodded in thanks anyways.

Returning the nod, I made my way back to a now standing Bitch. I was slightly amused as she checked over her mutated hounds with a doting touch, shushing them and murmuring soft words whenever she stroked a cut or injury. It seemed that the rest of the team had a similar idea, with Grue, Tattletale, and Regent arriving at the same time I did.

Grue was the best looking of all of us, his helmet had a few scratches here and there but no cracks, while Tattletale had similar tears as Panacea did along her bodysuit, but no scrapes or cuts showing on the skin. Most of Regents shirt was torn in half, exposing his thin frame, and he kept opening and closing his hand, but was otherwise uninjured. Bitch's jacket and mask were basically shredded, the plastic remains scattered all over the bank, but she still wore the jacket anyways.

As for me? My mask was in relatively good shape, a quick feel showed some scratches, but nothing revealing. My tools were in good condition, gun clean of any fluids, though I couldn't say the same for my cloak. Anger threatened to take over as I felt the uncomfortably warm gore soak into the fabric and metal wires, probably staining it for good.

_Deep breathes Taylor. There's work to be done._

Yes, yes we had our priorities, but I wouldn't be forgetting this anytime soon.

"Grue," I spoke low, "What's our status?"

If Grue was annoyed at my taking charge, he didn't show it, "Basically? Fucked to all hell. All of the hostages are injured in some way, with no fatalities except for that Asian lady, but we are literally trapped between a rock and a hard place." He pointed at a blacked out window, "Turns out Bakuda's bombing spree took a detour here."

"Bakuda?" I asked.

"An ABB cape," Tattletale interjected, cutting off Grue, "Relatively new. Tinker. Specialty is-"

"I know who she is," I said a bit irritably, "Why is she here though?"

"For you of course."

That gave me pause. I knew the ABB had a bounty on my head for what I did for Lung, but to attack the Wards? Hell, how did they find me in the first place?

Tattletale gave me a smile that had no humor, "She found you because her first victim told her. Bitch said she was using her phone right? Well while I don't speak Japanese, though I could, it was obvious she became much more aggressive when you approached her. I bet that most of her goons out there all have a bomb in them like she did. Bakuda was probably hoping to take you out of the fight with that fucked up bomb, and followed up with the shockwave."

Grue cursed quietly and Regent let out a low whistle, "Damn Ripper, did you kick Lung in the gonads when we left?"

I shook my head, to many thoughts coming forth at once, "No, I popped his eyeballs. And I stole his minions wallets and looted his safe. Also stole his sword too."

"Ah, of course. Couldn't forget the sword now can we?"

Someone sputtered in the background, maybe Panacea, but I didn't pay it any mind.

The resulting quiet helped get my thoughts in order. We were trapped in a building with injured hostages, a mad bomber with a grudge outside battling people who wanted to arrest us, and I doubted we had any money from the vault yet.

_We could run. Sneak out the back, away from all this madness, leave Panacea and the dead weights behinds._

We almost definitely could leave all this behind us, head back to the base and hope to recover our losses. But would we? We had the vans in the back, Regent and Bitch probably wouldn't care enough about the hostages to leave with a fuss, and Tattletale was pragmatic enough to understand the need to escape. Grue was possibly the most sympathetic, but he had a sister to take care of, a situation not unlike my own.

So where did that leave me?

A glance at Panacea showed that she was still tolling away at her work, now up to her 15th hostage in a building with at least four dozen people. Her hands were shaking even worse now, and I could see sweat beginning to form along her brow. Coupled with her hard breathing and complete obliviousness to the blood along her face, I doubted that she'd make it past a few more hostages before collapsing.

"Reaper?" Grue questioned, but I ignored him, focusing on the people around me.

There. A young woman with a bone piercing out from her arm, silent tears flowing as she cradled something in her one good arm like it was a lifeline. Her daughter, couldn't have been older than four, wept into her mother's bosom for comfort. With every gunshot and explosion heard, the woman would bring the daughter closer, murmuring something reassuring into her daughters ear.

I made my decision.

"Grue," I asked aloud, "What was it that you mentioned about helping the Wards?"

I thought I saw Panacea's held tilt, but that could have easily been from the building shaking. Grue seemed to look uncomfortable to be put on the spot, glancing at Regent and Tattletale at his sides, "Honestly", he replied in a lower voice, "That was mainly out of desperation. You guys were in bad shape, and with Panacea threatening to leave us..."

I nodded, understanding his logic. I even agreed with it, though that wasn't going to change what I had decided.

"Well change of plans then," I said in a confident tone that surprised me, "I'm going to go help the Wards."

"What."

"What."

"Hm?"

"Yes. Bakuda is too much of a threat to just leave her be. Not to mention we'd only be targeted harder if we just abandoned the Wards against a mutual threat. Isn't that right Tattletale?"

She was the only one who hadn't spoken up during my reveal, and I could see the calculating look in her eye that I had become surprisingly familiar with. Now she looked surprised at my question but answered quickly, "Reaper has a point. Bakuda is fucking insane, and the fact that she basically turned an average citizen into her own personal Bob-omb speaks highly of what she thinks about the unspoken rules. If we don't help and finish her off now things will only escalate, and trust me when I say that we don't want an insane Tinker with a penchant for explosions to fucking escalate."

"Money?" Bitch finally spoke.

Tattletale shrugged, "What about it? We're still being paid for the job, we just don't get that special interest after. I'm sure the boss will understand, and if not I'll just make him understand."

_Should I feel bad for Coil here?,_ I thought for moment, _Nah, he can handle it._

It was Regent who answered first, "Eh, why not? I'd rather not have Explodo-girl coming after us. It'd really hark on my game time."

"As long as my dogs are fine at the end," Bitch muttered.

Tattletale smirked at me, "You already have my answer. Grue?"

He was almost uncomfortably quiet. I looked at him and saw the inner war he was fighting within himself. To help innocents or play it safe for his family? He turned to me when I laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I know what you're thinking," I really did, after all the two of us were surprisingly similar in that regard, "but understand that no matter what you choose, I'd never think any less of you."

He seemed to tense up, and I thought for a moment that he was going to bolt right then and there, but he surprised me with a firm nod, "Alright, you've convinced me. Let's do this."

I gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze then turned back to the group.

It was time to plan.

"Alright," I began, "Tattletale, what do we know?"

"So far as I can tell, it's just Bakuda out there-"

"That's right," Brian interjected, "I don't see Oni-Lee or Lung at all."

"-which means that this is most likely a spur of the moment operation. She probably thinks she can get some rep from taking you out, and maybe get some Dragon booty."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Regent crossed and uncrossed his arms in a time out gesture, "Lung and her are in the sa-"

"Irrelevant." I said.

"I'm just saying, no wonder she's so fanatical if she gets some of that Japanese Dragon wan-"

"Irrelevant." I growled.

Regent just shrugged and chuckled to himself while Tattletale rolled her eyes and Grue was doing his best to face-palm with a helmet on. Bitch just looked out of her depth.

"Anyways," Tattletale continued, "Grue confirmed the presence of a small army, most likely made up of ABB members and conscripted civilians. The Wards are holding up thanks to the arrival of some PRT troops, but I bet without a doubt that Bakuda set off some bombs elsewhere to hold off any of the Protectorate."

"Her bombs vary greatly, ranging from your standard grenade to acidic gases and who knows what else she can think of. Not much of a front-line fighter, but I'd eat my mask if she doesn't have a few contingencies on her person. I'm guessing... a remote detonator for her victims, and a fail safe in the case of her death."

Another rumble from outside shook the building, showering us with dust. We had to hurry.

"One other thing," Grue whispered, "That shock-wave that hit us in the beginning? Well it would have been ten times worse if Glory Girl didn't take a dive at it. I can see her lying down behind a dumpster and she isn't looking too hot."

"She's the invincible one right?" Bitch asked, surprising us.

Tattletale looked grim, "Apparently not."

I shook my head, "It doesn't matter. I've got the basics down: Bitch, you're going to be hostage protection and our blitz-krieg. I want two of your dogs out there, causing as much chaos as possible, but no killing if you can't help it."

"Especially no killing," said Tattletale, "It might cause their bombs to go off after death."

I nodded, "Right, no killing. Regent when ever you see a clear shot at Bakuda, use your power to fuck with her aiming. If you see someone in danger, don't hesitate to step in, but your primary focus is Bakuda. Grue, use your darkness to blind the ABB guys behind, make them panic and hopefully we get some chaos in the rank and file. Try not to blind the Wards or us, and like Regent, if you get the chance, blind Bakuda."

Tattletale smirked, "I assume I'll be running damage control then?"

"In a sense," I answered, "I doubt that we'll get through this without casualties on either side, but it'll be a step in the right direction if you coordinate with Bitch and get Glory Girl over here. If Panacea heals her up, we might turn the tide."

I looked at the Undersiders, their faces grim, even behind their masks. They were barely prepared for a Bank robbery, let alone a small war.

That didn't mean we weren't going to give them a hell of a fight.

Aegis, the cape I couldn't remember, and Shadow Stalker were in the front-lines, all three of them swooping in and tossing dozens of gang members through the air, punching them into other members, or taking them out with with syringed bolts. Aegis seemed to take the gunfire in stride, not even pausing as one member unloaded a full clip from his glock into Aegis's chest. Said thug was then used as a makeshift hammer, striking his fellow members to and fro before being tossed through a car's windshield. Shadow Stalker and the other Cape were playing it smarter, Stalker weaving in and out of her 'shadow state' to dodge the bullets while the other lept back and forth, landing explosive punches on anyone he got close to, cracking the concrete whenever he missed.

Behind them were the other Wards and a dozen PRT troopers. Clockblocker had used his power on a roll of saran-wrap, creating an invincible, if not temporary, shield for his teammates. Vista was using her power wherever she could, shortening or increasing the length of the battlefield so that it threw the attackers off balance. Kid Win and Gallant were both firing off there respective energy weapons with mixed results, though it appeared that Kid Win was struggling to summon something out of thin air.

Bakuda was ranting on and on about her bombs and something about a college, toting what looked like a Tinker-tech grenade launcher atop of a similarly designed jeep. I was pretty sure most of her curses were aimed at me.

It was only when we identified Glory Girl being treated to basic first-aid by one of the PRT troopers that we struck.

"Now!"

A streak of darkness flowed out from the bank's doors and consumed the stragglers of the ABB army, a few dark blasts struck some of the front-line soldiers, causing shouts and cries of panic and surprise. One of Bitches dogs followed up the sneak attack, plowing into the bewildered men and women at frightening speed, sending them tumbling through the air like giant bowling pins. Many attempted to shoot the monster dog, only to have their bullets harmlessly bounce off of the armored chitin. One thought it would be a good idea to get up and close with the creature, earning a crunched arm and a vicious shake and toss for her trouble. Aegis and the other cape were almost too shocked to move, but Shadow Stalker took our arrival in stride, continuing her attacks on the enemy.

With a quick draw, I fired two shots from my stolen pistol, both rounds piercing the arms of the gunmen who tried to take potshots at the still heroes. I unloaded the rest of my magazine, bullets shattering kneecaps, feet, shoulder-blades and even a few of the guns themselves. Quickly reloading the pistol, I holstered the weapon for my cane-sword, unsheathing the blade as I dove into the battle.

I could hear the hum of my power and the faint light that emanated from me, electrifying the blade in my right and the sheathe in my left. I sliced and diced up many an arm and leg, causing most of the gang-bangers and some civilians to drop their weapons and/or crumple to the floor. A kick to inside knee, shattering the bone with a follow up smack from the sheathe, a twist of my blade and a gun fell in two. I never stopped moving, making sure to never stay in the line of fire. Blood was shed and flowed through the air, and countless limbs were slashed till they were effectively immobile from the pain. Aegis tore through a crowd of soldiers who were trying to get a bead on me like a train, yelps of pain echoed by all. The other cape took out a few that were attempting the strike me from behind and I returned the favor by cutting down the shotgun that was getting uncomfortably close.

Bitch's dog broke through a patch of darkness, tossing any member that was too slow out of it's way. Running to the dog, I used it's thick skin as leverage, pushing myself off and into a spinning leap through the air. Aegis used the distraction I provided to body check as many thugs within arms reach while red and multicolored energy beams flew past me, striking body after body. Some fell to the ground in an unconscious heap while others broke out into tears, screams of incoherent rage, or just crumpled in tears and shrieks of fear. The space around me seemed shift, and suddenly I landed much, much farther than I could do normally.

Vista, it seemed. Handy.

I was now back to back with the neck stabber herself, Shadow Stalker. She barely gave me a glance at me before shifting and phasing her bolts into her targets. The feeling was mutual as I danced the deadly dance of blades, cutting and knocking heads and limbs with my sword and sheathe. I heard the click of the trigger and turned just in time to face a bullet a mere foot from my face mask.

Not going to make it.

The speeding piece of metal closed the distance as I tilted my head oh so little to the left. I felt the heat of the projectile as it skimmed the surface of my mask and blew through my curls, passing behind me and into a fellow gang member. Two more rounds slammed into my gut, but those were fine; electrifying the metal wires and plates I had painstakingly placed within had made me effectively bullet-proof.

It still hurt like a motherfucker.

Stalker phased into solidity, cold-clocking the shooter while I got my breathe back. She seemed to be smirking at me, but that soon changed as I pulled her down with me, bullets flying inches overhead. Placing a hand on her back for leverage, a jumping side-kick took the thug off his feet, which I followed up by sprinting forward and cutting down any reinforcements he had. Once more I had to shift to the side as a multitude of phased bolts shot past, finding purchase in the chest of a few thugs.

I stared at the form of an approaching Shadow Stalker, her body language that of being impressed. Our eyes met and I instantly understood; our tactics would make us the most efficient team. Bakuda had started screeching at the top of her lungs and Stalker tilted her head in question, which I returned in agreement. With that out of the way the two of us jumped back into the fray, her phasing in and out of intangibility, me dodging and weaving between bullets and gang members. A bolt here, a sword slash there, we maneuvered around each other like we had trained together for the majority of our lives, like a violent cascade of water flowing past the rocks in it's path. Thugs fled from the battle as we moved in their direction, many exploding in the orange fluid before they could get very far.

Bakuda was trying to fire her grenades but Regent was doing his part, causing random muscle spasms whenever she so much as tried to load the weapon, causing her to kill more than a few of her own men on accident. She was positively livid now, resorting to throwing her grenades by hand if she could.

**"YOU MOTHERFUCKIN' SONS OF BITCHES! I WILL FUCKING _DESTROY_ YOU!"**

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Tattletale grab hold of Glory Girl and with a PRT troopers help, carry her up the steps and into the bank.

_Hurry, I'm not sure how long we can las-_

An explosion to my right took me off my feet and I felt blinding pain and cold arc through my arm and leg. I screamed and let loose a torrent of electricity from my body, thankfully relieving myself of the cold, but not the pain. Landing on my back without bracing myself didn't help either.

Shadow Stalker was cursing and yelling for me to get to my feet, but I was too focused on my right arm and leg. Thin crusts of ice covered the surface, freezing parts of my cloak and pants, and blistering my skin. Bakuda must have gotten a lucky one off. Fucking Regent.

_I just got healed._

With a grunt of pain I pushed myself to my feet, bullets and lasers flying past me as I forced myself to regain my balance. My sword was fine, the electricity protecting it somewhat, but I was fed up with this 'war'. Was this what my Dad had felt like when the Crusaders had attacked? Was this the pain he felt every morning? Clamping down on the rising anger in my gut, I eyed the one who was the cause of all this fucked up bullshit.

_Bakuda!_

I broke out into a sprint, uncaring of the dozens upon dozens of armed gang-members and the screaming from my leg. It didn't matter what kind of weapon they had I'd cut down all of them if I had to, whether or not they were forced or volunteer, any one who got in my way would pay. A loud whining sound from behind me became a crescendo of crackles as a rain of red laser blasts paved way through the assorted gang members, causing many to jump out of the way to escape the destruction.

A quick look behind showed Kid Win aboard a floating platform, raining red rain among the gang army, some sort of force-field protecting him from any stray bullets.

I didn't stop my sprint though, once again focusing my attention on my bomber target. Walls of darkness rose to my sides, blocking me from any of our enemies sight and aim.

Grue doing his part.

I was so close now, and she knew it, her attempts at firing her bombs ending in failure as Regent got back on track. A few thugs tried to bar my path but Bitch's second dog plowed right through them before continuing to the other side. Aegis and the other cape were by my side now, though they were more focused on sweeping up any standing opposition left from Kid Wins attack.

Shadow Stalker was engaged in hand to hand with a few stragglers, using her bolts as makeshift knives and taking them down one by one. Containment foam was being fired with abandon, covering hundreds and hundreds of thugs, unconscious or no. I had to bob and weave a few times to make sure I wasn't 'accidentally' hit, but I never strayed from my target.

Suddenly the space in front of me shifted and the distance between me and the bomber was reduced to only a few feet. I could see the Bomb tinker's eyes widen in shock, even as she raised a grenade in the air as a last resort.

Only for a bullet to nearly tear her hand off from the wrist up. On the far right of the battle, I saw the glint of a sniper scope before it vanished over the ledge.

Bakuda screamed in agony, trying to desperately stem the bleeding stump with her one available hand. She never noticed me jump onto her modified jeep until it was too late.

She looked at me wide eyed as I closed the gap and sheathed my blade, "Y-You motherfuAAAGH!"

I lifted her off her feet, my good left hand clamped around her neck as she desperately tried to claw at my wrist with both hand and stump.

Paying no mind to the blood soaking into my cloak, I brought my mask close enough to hers that I could feel her hot breathe on the plastic, "This was my mother's favorite cloak."

I could see the red of my eyes reflected in hers as I pulsed my power through her, electricity arching through her every nerve, her mouth open in a silent scream as spittle flew. I let it go on for another few seconds before stopping the current. Smoke began to rise from her body but she was still alive, if barely.

I tossed her aside and turned back to the crowd. Most of them gang had been properly captured or incapacitated, with only a token few escaping through the back alleys. Glory Girl was hovering above the battleground, an unconscious Panacea in her arms. The Undersiders were on my left, already making their way to the vans as discreetly as possible, while the Wards and PRT worked on the hostages and thugs, pretending not to notice them.

Leaping off the jeep, I limped towards the same alley way, pausing only to spare a glance at the hero who blocked my path. Shadow Stalker. The dark-themed hero held my gaze for a moment before deliberately turning and facing the opposite direction.

The message was clear and I continued my limp down the alley, all too aware that they could change their minds at any moment.

They didn't.

I idly wondered if I could make a good excuse for Dad to share his pain medication.


	24. Chapter 18

**Reaper: Chapter 4d**

Tattletale practically kicked our base's door in, the brass handle denting then rebounding off the wall before being it's momentum was stopped by said kicker.

"Hurry up and get her on the couch!"

Bitch led the charge with her three dogs, grabbing and throwing cushions without a care of where they landed. Grue and Regent followed suit, their movements hampered by the object that they held between them. With as much delicacy as two distressed super-villains could, the two of them layed the object on the couch horizontally, careful not jostle around too much.

And me?

I was the object.

"Guys, I'm fine, really. I don't think this is-"

"Shush you." Tattle said with surprising force, before turning back to our remaining team, "Rachel, get a bucket and some hot water from the sink. Alec, a clean wash rag and some rubbing alcohol to disinfect the wounds."

"Or we could poor some whiskey on it, ooh, ooh let's rub some dirt in there! Make it all hardcore and-"

Regent bolted out of the room when it looked like Tattletale was going to slug him. Grue merely shook his head as he removed his helmet, a grim look on his face.

"Brian I need bandages. A lot of bandages. And get me my phone as well, we might need the doctor's help."

Doctor? Oh hell no.

I was able to push myself up into a sitting position with my good arm, ignoring the throbbing from my right arm and leg. Unfortunately, Grue was already gone and Tattletale was coming at me in a hurry.

"Nonononoonononono-"

"I'm fine. Honestly, nothing's wron-"

"No!"

She slapped my arm. My right arm.

"..."

"..."

Brian had just finished prying the first aid kit from the depths of the bathroom cabinet, nearly knocking over a dozen of bottles of lotion and assorted junk.

Quickly leaving the restroom with equipment in hand, he was only halfway down the hallway when the sound hit him.

"OOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAFFFFFFUUUUUUUUGGGGMFFFFFFFFFFFFGGPHHHFFFFFFAAAAA!"

Brian suddenly decided that it was a good idea to start walking faster.

My eyes widened as pain crashed through what felt like every cell in my right arm, and I had to start blinking my eyes rapidly to ward off the coming tears.

_Fuck you Tattletale!_

"Ooooooooow," is all I could say in a hoarse whisper. The pain was so bad that I didn't even notice her unbuttoning of my cloak until it was gently pried off of me and my bad arm, leaving me in my green tank-top. I would have felt indignation at the undressing, but mind numbing pain was still the order of the day in Hebert-ville and it had no intention of leaving.

"Oof," mumbled Tattletale, "How the hell do you wear- Nevermind, not important." Then she grabbed my bad leg and the pain returned with a vengeance, and it took all my will power to not cry-out like last time. Part of it was because I didn't know what I'd actually say, and the other part was not wanting to show any weakness than I had already.

Tattletale was already rolling up my pant leg (with illogical glee I noticed the metal fillings were giving her trouble), when Grue sprinted into the room. He was panting heavily as looked both of us over, me without a mask or cloak and Tattletale reaching up and folding up my pant-leg, before shaking his head and dropping a first aid kit next to Tattletale.

She answered before he asked, "She wanted to move, I showed her why that was a bad idea. And no, lets wait for the others."

Bitch and Regent came a minute later, each carrying their respective items. What happened next was a blur of pain and nausea as the Undersiders did what they could for my arm and leg. Bitch made multiple trips with her dogs to refill the bucket of hot water, Regent seemed to wince whenever Tattletale dabbed my limbs with the rubbing alcohol, and Grue paced back and forth, not unlike when we were cornered at the bank.

When all was said and done, both my right arm and leg were thoroughly bandaged, and after a few pills for the pain, I finally felt I could move without biting my tongue. The pain was still there, and it still made me wince, but at least I could function somewhat properly. I wasn't too worried about the pills messing with my head much, apparently they were left-overs from when Grue got bolted, and were somewhat out of date. Hopefully that would dilute the effect for awhile.

"Welp," Tattletale sighed, wrapping up bandages and placing them into the first aid kit.

"Welp." I murmured wisely.

She gave me a hard stare and slammed the kit shut, "You got blisters covering most of your arm and leg, wrist to shoulder and ankle to mid thigh respectively. Your nerve endings are obviously irritated beyond all hell, and you will probably feel aches to your bones for at least a week. But..."

"But...?" I gave her a hard stare of my own.

Tattletale rubbed the bridge of her nose, "But there's nothing severely dangerous to your limbs. You're probably going to have to clean those blisters a couple times a day just to keep things safe, and it'll be a literal hell whenever you walk, but those will pass." She gave me a weary smile, "Congrats Ms. Hebert, you get a sort-of-kinda-not really clean bill of health and considering the frost covering your costume, that says a lot. Now all you need is a week of bed-rest here and you'll be golden."

"Hmm, nope, not going to work."

Her smile fell away so fast I wondered if it was there at all. Grue and Regent exchanged glances and Bitch raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Nope? Wha- You can't say nope! There is no 'nope', you need to rest your limbs!" Tattletale was jerking her hands as her voice rose, obviously frustrated.

Grue stepped in, "I agree with her Taylor, you're not looking so hot right now."

"Look, I get out of school in about," I looked at the clock, "15 minutes. It's a long walk from my school to my house, and it will be even longer if I don't leave right this second." I shakily stood from the black couch, "Bitch can you please get my bag from my room?"

Tattletale moved to do something, but I already planned for that. As she came forward I side-stepped to the right, balancing on my bad leg. Using my left arm, I wrapped the palm of my hand to the back of her head, placing my left foot between hers, and pushed at the same time. The effect was the Blonde Thinker squeaking in shock, then face-planting into the couch. I kept my hand on her back as she struggled to break free, muffling curses all the while. Luckily none of the goop from the fight had leaked from my cloak, so the couch wasn't a bio-hazard.

I think.

"_Mmphfrmgf_!"

"Rachel," I almost pleaded, "_Please_, get me my bag from my room."

She looked between Grue and me, eyes squinting in thought, before simply stalking off. Hopefully in the direction of my room.

"Taylor-"

"Brian," I cut off, "Don't make me have to fight you guys to get home. I am having an extraordinarily bad day today and I can't think of how it could get much worse, but having to fight my way home will definitely make me do something neither of us would like-"

"_Mmpfhr_!"

"-And I don't want that. Please."

Brian stood in front of me, arms crossed, conflicted thoughts warring inside his head. Regent had wisely decided to take a few steps back, and hid behind a coffee table, head just barely poking out from curiosity.

I eyed the clock nervously, even as Brian answered, "Okay. Fine. Lisa, leave Taylor alone for a bit okay?"

I let up on the blonde as I sighed in relief. She gave both of us an angry look for heading off down the hall, murmuring the entire way and passing up Bitch as she came back with my bag.

Taking the bag with my left, I gave her a nod, "Thanks."

"Hn."

Not much of a talker, but she gets things done at least.

Besides, I wasn't much of one either.

Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I just barely resisted the urge to retaliate before Brian's voice broke my thoughts, "Are you sure you're feeling okay? I can give you a ride if you need it."

I shook my head, "He'll be waiting for me, and since I usually walk home, he's going ask questions. Questions that I can answer, but if he asks you, well, I'm going to have to stop putting it off after today." I looked into his eyes and put on my 'Happy' mask, "I'll be fine. I think you need to go to T- Lisa though. She needs someone who cares about her now I think."

He gave me a strange look, but nodded anyways and left, following Tattletales path down the hallway. I watched him go for a moment before turning back the last remaining member, still hiding behind a coffee table.

"And you, " I pointed at Regent, "You better take care of my cloak. If it's not washed down to the last wire, you and I's spar will be a hell-of-a lot longer."

The normally snarky teen shook his head slowly before grabbing my cloak and disappearing in the hallway.

With a sigh and a wince, I made my way out of the Undersiders base and into the city streets.

The plan was simple: Sneak home, get knew clothes to hide bandages, sneak out and enter through the front.

Scaling the wall and climbing through my window was a tedious but otherwise easily handled task when I was in my prime.

Scaling the wall and climbing through my window with a blistered arm and leg was a bitch.

I had been careful to avoid any areas where people I might know would possibly congregate, made sure to stick to abandoned alleys, ducking out the sight of several cops and even a PRT van. It didn't matter what they were doing, a teenage girl with a visibly bandaged arm was definitely going to get their attention.

It most certainly didn't help when the outdated pain medication began to wear off a mile away from home. Moving at a near crawl in a neighborhood that was being contested by multiple gangs, fighting back a wince for every movement and doing everything humanly possible to keep the bandages clean, that walk a hell on Earth.

Sliding through the slim frame, I bumped my ankle against the window-sill and tumbled to the floor, crying out in pain. Those pain meds were practically null at this point, and I hadn't thought of getting more before leaving.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! Great Taylor, what if someone had heard you?_

Rising shakily to my feet, all coherent thought was blown away when my door was flung open, revealing the white-uniformed clad Sierra, armed with what looked like my Dad's old nine-iron.

"HOLD STILL SICKO-"

The look of fear and rage on her face twisted into a stunned expression that no doubt rivaled my own, "T-Taylor?!"

I gave a shaky wave, "H-Hi."

And then the world turned black and face met the floor.


	25. Chapter 19

**Reaper: Chapter 4e**

_I loved sleeping. Every day our team would move through the twisted wasteland, occasionally stopping to map the area, but whenever we did stop I always made sure to nap._

_Some would say it would be impractical to sleep within the jungle, where animals and bugs of all kinds have evolved to kill a full grown man in a multitude of ways. Even more would say that it would be downright stupid to sleep in a jungle during the middle of a World War, especially in the middle of enemy territory. All of them would call me crazy for sleeping in a jungle during the middle of a World War with Super-Powered soldiers filling the ranks._

_Well they're right. I am impractical, stupid, and yes even crazy, but I do not worry for my safety when I sleep._

_For I have a protector, a guardian, a person who loved me since the day I was born and vowed to protect me while at my weakest._

_My darling brother._

_"Are you awake Bai?"_

"-ou awake Taylor?"

A wave of cold water splashed against my face and shot forward, eyes widening and gasping in shock. Adrenaline flowed through veins as I quickly took notice of my surroundings, only to slowly taper off when recognition hit me.

It was my room. The same shelves, the same closet and the sheets that pooled around me were of my own. I raised my hand to wipe the droplets of water from my face, only to wince as a familiar pain shot through my body.

Right, that still happened.

Still though the pain was familiar, it seemed... dull? Like someone took a baseball bat, wrapped it in bubble wrap, them slammed it into my chest. Not the best description, but I was preoccupied with other things for the moment.

Like the frowning face of Sierra that was to my right. I looked from her expression to my bandaged arm and back again before realization kicked in, "I can explain."

She rose an eyebrow, "Oh really? So, you can explain why you snuck into your room through the window, your arm and leg looking like a bad mummy cosplay, how you passed out on your feet, and," She rummaged for something below my line of sight for a moment before bringing it out front and center, "this?!". My eyes widened in shock at the object that she held in her hands.

My mask. Despite all the trouble that I had gone through today, all the blood and dirt, my mask still looked pristine, though it's red smile and purple lighting bolt seemed to mock me now.

_Poor Taylor_, it seemed to say, _It was only a matter of time._

I tore my gaze from the mask and faced Sierra. I was further surprised by the tears in her eyes even as I asked, "Where did you-"

"Your bag," She cut off, "I was panicking when you passed out, and I hoped you might have more bandages in your bag." Oh god the tears were getting worse, "Y-You did. But I saw this first. Taylor I'm not stupid, I was watching the news earlier today. You r-robbed a bank! You're a, a-"

"Villain," I whispered, finishing for her.

She broke at that, the tears flowing not unlike a waterfall, and her sobs were heartbreaking to hear. Her hands completely covered her face, but it did little to block her whimpers and tears leaked through the gaps. All the while the mask just sat there and smiled, seemingly uncaring of her distress.

Is that how people see me? An uncaring mask?

It fit didn't it? I'd put on a 'happy' mask whenever I had to treat Dad, a 'sad' mask whenever Emma or Sophia wanted to play their fucked up games with me. Even the Undersiders saw only what I wanted them to see, bar a few exceptions. When Grue had told me about his home-life, how he was struggling to reconnect with a sibling in order to protect her, I had thought that I felt truly sympathetic for him, even going so far as comparing his struggles with my own. But how much of it was actual, genuine sorrow and how much of it was the mask that I had been cultivating to get close to them?

Even through her crying fit, Sierra could still speak, "W-Why? D-Did you e-even think a-about Danny? A-About what t-this does t-to m-me?"

I looked at her in shock, "Of course I did! Dad was the reason I'm doing this is the first place! And I made sure to include you in the protection deal." Who did she think I was to make such a idiotic mistake like that?

Sierra just shook her head, "You d-don't get it do you? There were a dozens of better options than, than, than this!" she made some sort of gesture with her hands, "You could have gone to the Wards and they would have happily given you everything you need. O-Or maybe just be one of those rogues like Parian, she makes hundreds on her puppet shows alone! You didn't have to do this!"

I scoffed, "Wards? And what, get guilt tripped into fighting every criminal the Protectorate doesn't feel obligated to stop? Not to mention that Rogues get muscled into gangs all the time! I give Parian a week, maybe two, before one of the bigger gangs take notice of her. Really I made the logical choice."

"Taylor," her voice grew strangely hard, "I saw you on the news before they censored it, and even now I could pull up a video if I wanted, show you cutting people down with sword. How is being told who to fight by a gang any different from the Wards you seem to hate?!"

"The money of course." Why was she fighting this so hard? "You think that tinker box healer was cheap? I earned that-"

"Earned it?!" she nearly shouted, "My god Taylor, you've committed a felony, maybe more if I'm hearing you right! You've hurt innocent people! Danny wouldn't want that and neither would your mother!"

That couldn't have hurt more if she had broken my bad arm. I looked at her for a moment, indignant rage boiling inside me. It was such a low blow I almost thought that it was just my head playing tricks on me, but I only had to look into her teary eyes to know the truth. How dare she?!

"Who do you think you are?" I nearly growled at her, "Who do you think you are to question what I do for my family? To think for even a fraction of a second, that you would understand what she would feel? You aren't my mother and you most certainly aren't family."

Her eyes went cold with that, though her tears still dropped, showing no signs of stopping, "I could ask the same to you. You aren't the loving girl that Danny wouldn't stop talking about in the hospital, and you definitely aren't the beautiful young woman who I had grown to care and love for. Who are you?"

I had a retort on the edge of my tongue, ready to cut her down to size when something clicked. It was memory, one that I had nearly forgotten even though it was only a few days ago.

_But do you?_

The note. _Tattletale_. My retort died in my throat as I unclenched my fists, only to stare in horror at what I saw. Blue light surrounded my body, a faint hum emanating in the air, the bandages doing nothing to block the flow of light. With a thought the blue light vanished, the hum of my power with it.

_But do you?_

Of course I do, I'm Taylor Hebert, a girl who loves her Dad more than the whole world.

_But do you?_

Like I said, I'm Taylor Hebert, a girl who gets picked on every day by her former friend.

_But do you?_

Again, I'm Reaper, master thief-

I stopped. I stared at my hands, a cold sweat breaking out on my skin as an avalanche of thoughts crashed through my mind.

Did I? Did I know who I was? I had thought that my power's way of thinking was enlightening but now I'm wondering if I lost a part of me. I still felt emotions, anger, happiness, and now guilt, but it's blanketed. Smothered, underneath my power's thinking. Who says that it wasn't doing more? Could it have been pushing me to make worse and worse choices all these years?

It was a terrifying thought, and I found I couldn't say anything for a minute. Sierra waited, tears still falling down her cheeks, and a hard sob would escape her occasionally.

Eventually I found the words, "How much of the news did you see?"

She frowned, "Not a whole lot. Danny... he wanted to go to bed early and I was tired myself, so I've been reading for awhile now. I only just checked the news and they had a picture of that mask along with your other friends."

I nodded, still putting together what I was going to say, "If you had... you would know that we- I saved the Wards. Saved Glory Girl. You have to believe me when I say that I am not a real villain."

Her frown deepened and it looked like she was considering my words, before shaking her head, "I-I'm sorry Taylor, but I can't find it in myself to believe you, especially after now. I'm... I'm sorry."

I closed my eyes and leaned back into the pillow. I knew it wouldn't have been easy, but I felt like I had to try, had to at least defend myself. A thought struck me as I lay there, listening to the occasional sniffle from Sierra. It was a horrible, horrible thought, but it could be the only way to gain her trust.

My thoughts turned to the injured woman at the bank, how she had cradled her child, whispered soothing words to keep her calm, even as shock-wave after wave hit the building. I wondered if she made it out okay.

"I didn't trigger in the locker."

Her sniffling stopped, and I knew she was looking at me now, "W-What?"

"I told you and Dad that I triggered while I was in the locker. I lied. It was horrible and disgusting and I threw up all over myself, but I didn't trigger in it. I actually broke out of it once everyone was gone. Janitor found me before I could clean off." I took a deep breath, "I triggered during my mother's death. It was a car accident as you know, I can't remember how but we went off the road, hit a pole. I blacked out after that, and when I woke up sparks were flying everywhere and Mom was gone. Of course now I realise that the sparks were mine and that Mom was thrown from the car, but I didn't know that and I cried her name for hours till the E.M's arrived."

She looked shocked and horrified at my reveal, "Taylor-"

"I didn't cry at her funeral," It was getting harder to speak now, my throat was getting sore, "Couldn't really. My powers did something to my emotions, blanketing them, and even though I felt so horrible for not crying I couldn't. Even when Dad asked me what was wrong and even when he started crying, I didn't cry. My mind was a mess, still adjusting. I was only 11."

"You don't-"

"I think," I swallowed a lump in my throat, uncaring of what she had to say, "I think I drove my Dad into D-Depression. He tried so hard to get a response out of me, but I couldn't, not when I didn't even know what was happening to me. One day he just... h-he just gave up. Never looked me in the eye when he talked to me, he was gone more often, threw out all the cellphones, and I never c-cried. Couldn't act on my emotions, even if they were there."

"Please-"

"Emma tried too, cried almost like D-Dad, but when I did nothing she called me a... a heartless bitch." My vision was getting blurry and I had to wipe my eyes with my left hand, "S-She left me after, and when she got her new f-friends, that's when the bullying started. It was also when I learned to start f-faking them. E-Emotions I mean. I saw all these people who were suffering because of m-me, and I did what I thought was right. I-It helped Dad a bit, he started talking and h-hugging me more often, but Emma wasn't convinced. I don't think s-she's ever really believed that I was sincere, even when I acted sad and cried after her b-bullying."

Sierra didn't even get a word in before I started again, not even bothering to wipe the tears now, "When I-I got the call that Dad was-was, when he got h-hurt, I threw up again. And again. I kept having thoughts of the accident and it would make me v-vomit every time I would picture D-Dad at the hospital. I think that was a p-panic attack, but I still didn't cry."

"Now I have these n-nightmares that I don't even r-remember, but they tear at me, and I wake up more tired than when I fell asleep."

I opened my eyes and looked at Sierra, an expression of shock and horror on her face. She was still crying, from what I didn't know. I didn't care then either way.

"W-Who am I Sierra? Am... am I broken? Sometimes I feel like one of those porcelain dolls, no expression, no emotions, just a blank slate. I'm a frea-"

She hugged me then, moving so fast that I didn't- no -couldn't react fast enough to resist.

"Shhh," she whispered, patting and running her hands through my soon to be curly hair, "You're just a girl Taylor, maybe a liar, but your not broken. A doll doesn't cry you know."

That was it. The damn holding my tears broke and I did as well, bawling like a baby, barely caring that I was getting her shirt wet.

_Why now?,_ I angrily thought, _Why couldn't I do this sooner?_

I told her of my missions out at night, how I had gotten the idea the day after the locker when I saw the hospital bills. I told her about the merchants, about Coil, and the Undersiders. I even told her about why I really saved the Undersiders, about the mom and child I saw in the bank and Panacea. Throughout it all I cried and Sierra comforted me, crying along at times, whispering praise at others.

Eventually our tears stopped and we were left with extremely puffy faces, wet shirts, and in Sierra's case, running mascara.

"Does Dad know about... this?" I asked, suddenly worried that I'd have to do this all over again.

Sierra shook her head as she continued running her hands through my hair, "No, he'll be asleep for another hour or so. Your arm and leg should be healed by that time anyways."

I blinked and looked up at the nurse, "What?"

"I was using that Tinker medical box on you, Taylor. You were in bad shape, I was panicking, and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Apparently it was, because those blisters just seemed to... flake off piece by piece. I guess that shows how bad Danny has it since he still needs it. Don't worry I put it back on him as soon as I was done."

I frowned but nodded. It made sense, but I was a little mad that she took it off him in the first place.

Do I have a right to be mad at her? After all she's done?

No. She deserved better than me being a little peeved at her when she decided to not call the cops when she realised I was a super-villain, even if in name only. I still needed to ask her one thing.

"Sierra, I want to ask a favor."

"Taylor..."

"Please?" I was practically begging. I would have begged if I had to.

I felt her nod and continued, "I want to tell Dad myself. But not yet. There are things I need to take care of now that Panacea is here, and I want all my ducks in a row so to speak."

Sierra gripped me tighter, "I don't know Taylor. I'm not comfortable with you going out and breaking the law like this. It's dangerous and wrong."

On that we agreed on, "I know, but I need to settle things with Coil. Make sure that we are left alone. He's smart, and he can be brutal, but he seems to know the limits of what I'll do for him."

"What about the PRT or the Wards? They can help you too."

I sighed, "I'd also be arrested or forced into Ward-hood. I don't want either of those Sierra, I just want be with Dad and you. If you want to stay still."

"Oh hush you," she ruffled my hair and hugged me tighter, something that I didn't protest too, "Of course I'd stick with you guys. You're like the sister I never had, but don't let my brother hear that okay? As long as you promise to end this somehow without getting hurt."

"Of course."

"And," she continued, "You have to grow your hair long again. It's so curly and thick that it's a shame to keep it so short."

I frowned, "Ugh..."

"Taylor-"

"Fine, fine, I'll grow it long." Never mind the danger of having longer hair, even in a pony-tail, but whatever.

"Thank you Taylor." She squeezed me one last time, before getting up to check on Dad, golf club in hand. She promised to be back in five minutes but by the time my head hit the pillow my eyelids were getting heavy, and the siren song of sleep was so enticing.

I feel asleep soon after with a smile on my face, and the weight of the world off my shoulders.

There were neither dreams nor nightmares.


	26. Chapter 20

**[I got a T.V. Trope page now, so you can check that out if you like. Just search under Ridtom's Reaper and it should pop up. Feel free to edit it or Rec it if you want, I don't mind!]**

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**Reaper: Chapter 4f**

*KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK*

"Taylor can you get that? I'm busy making breakfast."

"No problem." I called back, passing Sierra as she started breaking a few eggs. I stretched as I made my way to the door, bones popping in place, causing me to sigh in content. It was rather cold inside my home, but not so uncomfortable that some black sweats and grey shirt couldn't fix. I'd have to pay for a new heater eventually, but for now I didn't mind.

It had been a while since I had slept with no interruptions and left me in such a good mood that I only did three sets of crunches and push-ups. Yes, I am allowed to be lazy once and blue moon. Besides I might tone down the crunches anyways, the... comments by Regent about my abs were... flattering yet uncomfortable. I wasn't sure how that worked, but he made it happen.

Not to mention ill-timed, like at the Bank yesterday.

Speaking of, a surprise spar would just make my day. Just to show him the ropes of course.

The thought brought a smile to my face as I opened the door, revealing the stern, freckled-face of my blonde teammate. Dressed in a pink long sleeve shirt and stunningly skinny jeans, the cold air didn't seem to bother the Thinker at all.

Tattletale's lips quirked into a shy smile as she spoke, "Hey Ta-"

I slammed the door and locked it before taking a few steps back. My eyes were stuck on the door, watching it as if it would explode the moment I breathed too hard.

"Who was that Taylor?" Sierra's voice echoed from the kitchen, breaking me out of my reverie.

"Just someone from the Church of Scion." I spoke without a tremor in my voice though my heart was pounding at a hundred beats a minute.

Tattletale. Here?! How- No, stupid question, of course she'd know where I lived.

The question was why? I thought I made it clear to G- Brian that I didn't want my family involved with my Cape duties. Sure Sierra had found out that same day, but it was the principle that counted.

"You didn't have to slam the door that hard Taylor. They aren't that bad you know."

"This one is," I murmured. I checked our front window, making sure not to move the drapes too much. There was no sign of Tattletale.

Closing the drapes, I cautiously backed away from the door, still suspicious, before speed-walking up to my room. Sierra was still in the kitchen, flipping what looked like French Toast rather badly, so she didn't see my hurried stride. I had to arm myself, Tattletale suddenly showing up at my doorstep couldn't possibly be good. Did Coil plan on getting rid of me? No, that didn't make any sense, he explicitly doesn't trust Tattletale.

Maybe... maybe he heard about my wanting to quit? It could work, but he gave off a more professional air, like he knew that it was nothing personal. And it didn't explain why Tattletale was here.

Unless he was playing both of us.

I paused. Eyes widening in shock as I took in the thought.

That... that made a surprising amount of sense. But the consequences... I shook my head, I was running around in circles now, assuming the worst about my situation. The fact of the matter was that I had little to no relevant information, and was still reeling from the whole thing with Sierra and now Tattletale. Right now, the best course of action was just to get my feet on the ground.

First, arm myself. Second, see if I can some food in me. Third-

I swung my door open and was greeted to the sight of a panting Tattletale, arms above her head, trying to get air into her lungs.

I would have stood there mouth agape for who knows how long but the blonde took that moment to notice my presence, "Oh, hi. Fancy *pant* meeting you *pant* here."

Broken out of my stupor, I glared at the panting blonde. She must have realized my intent as her eyes widened and she put up her hand in a pleading gesture, "No, wait. Just give me- Oof!"

I practically tackled her onto my bed, making sure to take hold of her wrists to prevent any retaliation. Landing hard on the worn out mattress, the breathe was knocked out of the blondes lungs, stunning her for a moment. I took advantage of the her surprise, wrapping my legs around her waist and placed my feet to the back her thighs, effectively pinning her.

Pressing her wrists against the bed I glared down at the blonde, anger bubbling up inside, "What. Are. You. Doing. Here."

She coughed and gave me a glare of her own, "Couldn't you *cough* wait until I *cough* caught my breathe?"

"You broke into my room, you better answer my questions." I nearly growled at her. How dare she try to turn this on me?

"Fine," she seemed to catch her breathe, "But do you think we could move? This is kind of uncomfortable. And awkward, definitely awkward."

I swear to god I felt a vein pop, "Don't change the subject-"

"Um, am I... am I interrupting something?"

Startled, I twisted my neck to look behind me, Tattletale following my gaze. Sierra stood halfway behind the doorway, face beet red. She looked like she couldn't decide whether to be horrified or amazed, so her face took the worst traits of both.

Today was shaping up to suck.

Tattletale waved, "Hey there. Don't mind us, we're just two teenage girls on the brink of womanhood having a very personal conversation. I'm sure you've seen this once or twice, am I right?"

Her mouth opened in shock, "O-Oh."

"Shut up Lisa," I groaned, already feeling a headache coming, "Don't listen to her Sierra, we just need a minute alone okay? I'll promise I'll be quick and I'll tell you everything later."

The following silence was palpable, much to my confusion, and Sierra's turned pinker that her dyed hair. Tattletale just stared at me, mouth open in shock and disbelief. Eventually, Sierra broke the silence.

"O-Okay then. I'll just... you know... down stairs... not... uh... breakfast!" And she was gone. I could hear the rapid tap of her feet as she bolted down the stairs. Silence was prevalent once again.

"So..."

I sighed, "Let's take a walk and never mention this again. Deal?"

"Deal."

We left the house a few minutes later, Tattletale going out of her way to give Sierra one of her vulpine grins. Her look of sheer embarrassment, while humorous, did nothing to relieve my growing headache.

I was dressed in grey jeans and a black long sleeve sweater, not the normal clothes I'd wear out in public, but I was too annoyed to put much thought into my style. I had offered Tattletale a jacket to wear but she had declined, saying that she enjoyed the chill in the morning.

Once we left the house, we walked. Just... walked. We didn't talk, didn't look at each other, just walked down the streets. We passed dozens of houses, crossed more than one group of teens who felt the need to cat-call, before we eventually reached the boardwalk.

We were that far from where I had my talk with Brian when Tattletale finally spoke up, "I took 3 showers."

The sudden nonsequier took me by surprise, and I gave the Thinker a look of confusion. She didn't look my way, keeping her face perfectly neutral as she continued to speak, "I took an hour for the first two before I called up the doctor and scheduled an appointment, then made the third one last an extra two. No matter how much I scrubbed I still felt the residue on my skin. I felt dirty."

I am not ashamed to say that she had completely lost me by then, her seemingly random subject change throwing me for a loop. Seeing my confusion she rolled her eyes, "I'm talking about the couch. You know the one that you slammed me face first into. The one that was covered in the people goop from your jacket?"

Oh, that makes sen- oh.

"Shit," I said, feeling disgusted with myself, "Are you..?"

"Okay? Yeah, whatever Bakuda used on her victims sterilized the goop. I might have well been covered in jello." She glared at me, "Except that jello was made out of people and I got my face rubbed in it, so no actually, I take it back. I am not okay."

"Is that why you came by?" My eyebrow rose, "You broke into my house to make me feel bad?" Never mind that I really did, because my god that is horribly disgusting. It didn't help that most of my memory after the fight, but the before Sierra was blur of pain and cold. What else did I do that I fucked up?

Tattletale shook her head, still glaring at me, "No. I want an apology."

"You're serious?"

"Very," she met my eyes, "I have done nothing but support your decisions and welcome you with open arms since you joined. You set the meeting place when we met which I agreed to, I also agreed with your little 'sparring' program, and I was the first to agree to help the Wards! And how do you repay me? Stuff my face people tang! You fucked up and I want an apology."

I stared at the short blonde in front of me, my mind trying and failing to find the correct words that could describe my feelings of in-credulousness mixed with deep anger. She thought that I had fucked up? Welcoming me with open arms?

Fuck no.

"That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

She visibly recoiled, her expression morphing into shock and then annoyance. I returned it with a glare of my own, pent up anger boiling within

_Pull back Taylor. You can still stop now._

I could. But I didn't want to. My fight with Sierra had opened my eyes, showed me how I was losing myself by smothering my emotions. When I had woken up today, I had woken up with a genuine smile on my face. No mask, just pure unadulterated happiness. I could still blanket them, it would be easy too, like tossing a lid on a boiling pot of hate water. But eventually the hate water bubbles up and even a lid can't stop the leaks they may find.

And I had a lot of pent up hate.

Tattletales eyes widened almost comically, "You're mad?"

"Furious." I replied. I stalked over to the railing, pointedly not looking in her direction, "I've been having a very, very, shitty past few weeks Lisa. I won't get into details with you because a lot of it is my fault, I'll give you that, but your hands aren't exactly clean either."

She said nothing, and I continued on, "I think the worst part though? The absolute worst part? Your note. No, not just your note, the fact that you just up and revealed the fact that you knew my secret 't even make a big deal out of it, you just threw it my face to see what my reaction would be. And your stupid little follow up note? Yeah, that nearly gave me breakdown. Congratulations, you win I guess."

"That woman knows your identity doesn't she?"

I whirled on the blonde, nearly seeing red. She was looking down at her feet, her expression sullen, even if I couldn't see her eyes. The anger in my vision lessened the more I looked at her. Her entire body stance has changed, I might as well be talking to a different person, a tired person.

I sighed and rubbed my eyes, "Yeah. Wrong place, wrong time, just... wrong everything. I did everything wrong."

We were quiet for awhile after that, neither of us knowing what to say. Tattletale stepped next to me to stare out into the ocean, but still remained silent. I felt no need to start a conversation anyways.

_One of these days I have to go stargazing here_, I idly thought, _Maybe bring Dad and Sierra if they want_.

"I didn't just come here for an apology."

I raised an eyebrow but said nothing. I was patient now, most of the anger bled out from my rather ill-timed outburst.

She took a breathe of ocean air before letting go, "I came to thank you. You really saved my ass when you caught that bolt. Hell, you saved everyone's asses when you took command of the group. If I had gotten taken out, or you had let it fall to Grue, I'm not sure we would be standing here and not behind bars."

"Or six feet under." I interjected, thinking back to the madness that was Bakuda.

Tattletale nodded, "Or that. Especially that."

I gave her a sidelong glance before sighing once more and ran my fingers through my growing curls, "Yeah, well, I sort of have to thank you to."

Another glance showed her confusement etched on her freckled face and I explained, "I said your note nearly gave me a breakdown-"

"Sorry."

"-It's fine. But besides that, it also gave me... perspective I guess the word would be." It sounded right at least, "I didn't realize how much collateral I was causing before I had it shoved in my face. It could have went done a lot worse had I not reigned myself in. And that note was a part of that. So... geez, I'm not good at this at all, thank you Lisa. And I really am sorry about what I did to you, especially since I remember you giving me first aid. I'm kind of a bitch like that."

Finishing what was possibly that most improvised and hamstrung apology and thank you in history, I waited for the blonde Thinkers response. She was staring intently at me, a frown on her face as those mental gears turned and turned, not unlike our first meeting. And then she just chuckled and rubbed her temples.

"You know I was able to read you like a book when you were going off on your rant, but now? I got zip. And I'm glad, because seeing you mad let me see all the dozens of way you could snap my bones in half."

I had to smile at that and she returned that as well, "If it makes you feel any better, I can't help but do the whole 'mind game' crap with other people. Ask Regent or Grue about our early days and they'll tell you how they wanted to throttle me on the best of days. So, let me say again, thank you for saving mine and our collective asses. And I'm sorry for fucking with your head like that."

She stuck out her hand, her vulpine grin in place, "Partners?"

I looked at the hand, my face the definition of neutrality, before sighing and taking the hand, "Partners."

_Though that may end tonight._

Her smile grew before she rubbed her exposed arms, "Now that that's settled, let's find some place warm and full of coffee. Preferably one that plays the occasionally okay Jazz music."

"We'll be out here all day then," I answered, "And I offered you a jacket."

"And what? Further confuse that poor nurse back at your home? She's already got some heavy misconceptions about you now."

I rolled my eyes, "Ah, right. Forgot I had that to fix as well. Thank you for that by the way."

"Hey you're the one who trapped me to your bed, partner."

"And this is why we can't have nice things."

She laughed at that, and I let her lead the way down the bay, idly wondering what else the day had in store.


	27. Interlude 7

**[So this is my first PHO Interlude, just to show what the denizens of Brockton Bay think of the Undersider/Ward Team Up!TM It was really hard trying to get the voice of these different people so I hope it worked out alright! This is my last night to write anything before Finals take over, so I'll try to make it count.**

**Enjoy.]**

* * *

**Reaper: Interlude #7-PHO Forums**

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**Topic: Bay Central Bank Heist/Bakuda Capture**

**In: Boards ► News ► Events ►America**

**Augustus002**

(Original Poster)

Posted on April 14th, 2011:

Holy Shit guys and gals, I do not have the words to describe what I saw at the bank. More than a few bullets skimmed me getting this video, and I still can't believe what I saw.

Video Here.

Thoughts?

**(Showing page 31 of 35)**

► **Blue_Arachnid**

Replied on April 14th, 2011:

Did... did the heroes just get _saved _by the villains? I don't know how I feel about this...

► **Xdertnalov**

Replied on April 14th, 2011:

Jesus Christ, how many ABB guys were there?! That was a fucking army right there!

And Bakuda was just tossing grenades like Oprah Winfrey tosses car keys! Where the hell does she keep that junk?

► **Answer**

Replied on April 14th, 2011:

Video Highlights:

1.) New Undersider Member lopping off fingers and guns with a _goddamn sword_

2.) Aegis swinging a gang member like a sack of rocks

3.) Browbeat throwing a manhole cover like a Frisbee

4.) Shadow Stalker teaming up with New Undersider and kicking ass

5.) Hellhounds Dogs throwing that one dude through a car window

6.) Kid Win Turret FOR THE WIN

7.) Bakuda getting Vadered by the New Undersider

Now some questions:

1.) Why did Bakuda suddenly appear?

2.) Why did the Undersiders _help _the Wards at all?

3.) Who is the New Member and what can he do (Besides kickass with a sword)?

4.) Are the Undersiders turning hero?

5.) Why did Glory Girl show up with her sister at the end?

6.) Where is Lung and Oni Lee?

► **Clockblocker**

(Original Poster) (Verified Cape)

Replied on April 14th, 2011:

** Xdertnalov: **I guess you could say Bakuda had... a lot of junk in the trunk.

**(*User: Clockblocker, has received a warning. We've already told you to stop with the CSI jokes. Bakuda's excessive weight is irrelevant to the current discussion. -Tin_Mother)**

► **Brass_Moon**

Replied on April 14th, 2011:

Look at the faces of some of those "gang" members. They look absolutely terrified, hell, I see a few running away and exploding in the background.

Something doesn't add up...

► **Important_Character**

Replied on April 14th, 2011:

Uh, guys? I recognize one of the "gang" members... she was my 6th Grade teacher years ago. She hated the ABB with a passion!

Why the hell would she be there?

► **Miss_Militia**

(Original Poster) (Verified Cape)

Replied on April 14th, 2011:

** Answer: **Information is still coming in. You have to remember that this was only a few hours ago, and we are busy sorting fact from rumor.

What we can confirm is this:

1.) The new Undersider member is named Reaper, and her power appears to be some sort of Electrokinesis.

2.) The Undersides are _not _verified heroes; They were robbing a bank just before Bakuda attacked.

3.) They did not harm the hostages physically (with the exception of two security guards) nor did they make off with any of the cash.

4.) Glory Girl and Panacea just happened to be in the area when the Undersiders attacked. Glory Girl saved many lives by covering one of Bakuda's grenades with her body and Panacea healed over two dozen victims.

As for Bakuda's motivations, the theory with the most ground is that she had some sort of grudge for the Undersiders. Why Lung wasn't involved is unkown.

► **Veraciel**

Replied on April 14th, 2011:

Wait, Reaper is a girl? Could have sworn she was a dude. Man, Circus has some competition for Most Villainous Crossdresser huh?

And I see she gets along quite well with our resident dark and brooding super-heroine!

**(*User: Veraciel, has been warned. Implying such relationships between Wards and Villains of unknown age is prohibited per forum rules. -Tin_Mother)**

► **Shadow_Stalker**

(Original Poster)(Verified Cape)

Replied on April 14th, 2011:

Wearing dark clothing doesn't make you a cross dresser. I don't even know what kind of logic leaps to that conclusion.

And what the fuck?! ***REDACTED*** She's a _villain_ for christ's sake, next time we meet she's getting a tranq to the chest.

**(*User: Shadow Stalker, has been warned. We understand that you have been in a high stress situation, but there is no need to instigate one who has already been punished. - Tin_Mother)**

► **Augustus002**

Replied on April 14th, 2011:

Wait, wasn't it confirmed that an electrical using cape took out Lung... and Bakuda attacks a bank with an electrical using Cape inside... Oh.

Oh wow, I guess Bakuda doesn't like it when people zap her Lizard?

**End of Page. 1 - 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 - 35**

**Topic: Undersiders In: Boards ► Places ► America**►**BrocktonBay** ► **Teams ► Villains**

**Beacon_Hill**

(Original Poster) (Veteran Member)

Posted on March 29th, 2011:

***NEW UPDATE: Confirmed Powers, New Pictures, and a New Member!**

**(Showing page 5 of 5)**

**Reaper**** (New): **As stated, Reaper is a new member of one of Brockton Bay's more illusive Parahuman gangs, The Undersiders. Wearing a dark black cloak, matching pants, and her trademark "Smiling" Mask, Reaper is the third confirmed female member of the "Masters of Escape" and is easily the one with the most hands on approach in the entire group.

**Known****Facts:**

Has shown a preference for using whatever weapons she has on hand, showing proficiency in the use of a Fire-Arm and great skill in non-lethal uses of a sword, cane, and metal baton

Engaging Reaper in H2H is unwise, as she has been shown to perform tactical take-downs, even in the middle of a firefight, without any trouble.

Just because she uses non-lethal means, does not mean you get away with a slight scratch. Several captured "gang" members have been reported with shattered/broken jaws, knees, ribs, shoulder blades, femurs, wrists, and pelvises.

Her powers seem to be Striker based, allowing her to channel electricity through bodily contact, even through gloves, as shown by her handling of Bakuda. It is theorized that she has a secondary Brute power as well, cutting through gun barrels and even lifting a full grown woman with one hand. Reaper's reflexes are super-human, dodging gunfire from multiple locations, even catching Shadow Stalker's crossbow bolt.

Reaper's cloak appears to be armored in some way, as the recent video shows her being shot at least twice but without it piercing whatever is beneath the fabric.

* * *

Armsmaster rubbed the stubble on his jaw, going over the forums for the tenth time already.

It was a miracle that they were able to hide the fact that Bakuda forced many innocents into her "army" via implanted bombs, but he was too cynical to believe that it wouldn't come out eventually. And when it did he knew it was going to be a grade-A cluster-fuck, not only for the PRT, but for Parahumans in general.

The Crusaders were already making their anti-Parahuman opinions known, and the revelation of what one deranged Tinker could do to an entire community would only validate those who agreed with them.

_Why couldn't we get another Marquis? At least then we wouldn't have to worry about hidden time bombs._

The fact that one of the time bombs was, in fact, an actual _Time Bomb_ was not lost on Armsmaster.

Giving the PHO Forum one last read through, the Protectorate Leader closed the window with a sigh and prepared for his next move. The Wards were going to cover what they had learned with Glory Girl while the Press came along and take their annoying pictures, and Miss Militia was handling Bakuda's interrogation.

Despite the fact that Armsmaster would like nothing more than to be apart of it, he knew that there wasn't much he could offer in the way of Interrogation, having already given Militia a copy of his Lie Detector.

_Wards it is then._

Grimacing, the Tinker made his way out of his lab, going over what he was going to say and how he was going to say it. He didn't like to admit it, but he knew that socializing was not his strong suit. He had made his fair share of mistakes, mainly that underwear branding, and mostly decided to only talk when he had time to go over his plan of attac-action.

His grimace was not helped by the report he had just received on Amy Dallon's condition.

* * *

**[There we go! Not too bad I think, but the PHO stuff takes some getting used to. Yes I used some of your names my loyal fans, and if it offends you I will be happy to change it.**

**Hope you enjoyed it, wish me luck on Finals, and don't be afraid to visit the T.V. Tropes page if you haven't already. It's not really big, but it's getting there bit by bit!]**


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